The Roundabout Club

The Roundabout Club

Inspection report for early years provision

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The Roundabout Club

Unique Reference Number 220106 Inspection date 16 August 2005 Inspector Jill Hunn

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The Roundabout Club

Setting Address Earl Spencer Primary School, Streatfield Road, Spencer Estate, Northampton, Northants, NN5 7DE

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E-mail

Registered person The Roundabout Club Type of inspection Childcare Type of care Out of School care

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E-mail

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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

The Roundabout Club is run by a committee and opened in February 1999. It operates from rooms within Earl Spencer Primary School and the Camrose Centre in the Dallington area of Northampton. A maximum of 40 children may attend the club at any one time. The club is open each weekday from 15:00 to 18:00 during school term times. The play scheme opens from 09:00 to 16:00 during the school holidays. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently 13 children aged from 3 to under 8 years and 22 children over the

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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 age of 8 on roll. The setting supports children with special needs. Children attend from Dallington and surrounding areas. The out of school club employs 6 staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is satisfactory. Each day there are opportunities for children to take part in exercise that helps promote their health and development. Children develop their physical skills as they push and ride wheeled toys and climb the apparatus in the playground. They enthusiastically play a variety of team games in the outdoor area or in the hall when the weather is wet. Children gain an awareness of the role of a balanced diet in contributing to their good health and growth. They choose from fresh fruits, such as peach slices and cherry tomatoes, at snack time. Children understand the need for regular fluids. They are encouraged to drink throughout the sessions, particularly after active play and when the weather is warm. However, children gain less understanding of the importance of good hygiene practices. They are not always encouraged to wash their hands before eating and not all procedures help prevent the spread of cross contamination.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is inadequate. Children's welfare is safeguarded because staff have suitable knowledge of local child protection procedures and understand their responsibilities for the children in their care. Children are able to use good quality toys and equipment. The resources are regularly monitored by staff to make sure they are safe and suitable for the children's needs. Children develop awareness of the importance of safety because staff set them guidelines. For example, they learn the safety rules for playing team games and to keep smaller toys away from the younger children. Risks of accidental injury to children outdoors are reduced by daily checks of the premises and equipment. However, similar measures and procedures are not consistently applied inside the premises. In addition, children are not always appropriately supervised during indoor and outdoor activities. These issues compromise children's safety.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is satisfactory. Children are confident and enjoy themselves at the club as they choose from a range of indoor and outdoor activities. They excitedly take part in more energetic ball and

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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 team games or relax with quieter activities. For example, board games, looking at books or watching television. Children are effectively supported by most staff to engage them in activities and extend their experiences. Children are able to express their ideas and develop their skills with a variety of art and craft activities based on weekly themes. They concentrate well as they paint models to their own design and make pirate rafts and space ships out of recycled materials. Children use their imaginations as they involve themselves in role play. They make tea in the play kitchen and look after their dolls. However, they are not always able to select resources easily and develop their ideas as they play.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is satisfactory. Children develop their confidence and self-esteem as they express their needs and make choices about activities. They learn to respect each other by being encouraged to share and take turns. Children learn what is expected of them because staff set them boundaries. They generally behave well. Children with special needs are supported appropriately to ensure they can participate in their chosen activities. Children gain awareness of our diverse society as they play with some resources reflecting positive images of race and culture. They begin to understand aspects of the wider world through craft activities relating to other religions and cultures. For example Chinese New Year, Diwali and Eid. Children's welfare and development are promoted because the staff have developed friendly relationships with parents. Suitable procedures are in place to establish and exchange information about the care of the children.

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Organisation

The organisation is inadequate. Children benefit from the suitable organisation of the available space to provide for a variety of play opportunities both indoors and in the outside areas. However, the systems used for storage of resources means that children are not always able to easily access toys and equipment during their play. Children's enjoyment is promoted because the staff develop friendly and caring relationships with them. The staff work well together as a team but they do not have the required qualifications. Meetings are held regularly to address certain practice issues and some staff have attended workshops. However, the action plan drawn up to show how the qualification requirements of staff will be achieved has not been effectively implemented. This impacts on the level of children's overall care and achievement. Most documentation is in place to support children's care and welfare although some

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Organisation

records are not sufficiently detailed or readily available. Importantly, the manager has overlooked the requirement to ensure that any person that has not been

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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 appropriately vetted is never left alone with children. She has also not considered the potential impact of this oversight on children's safety and well-being. These issues mean that the needs of all children who attend are not met.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection, the club was asked to improve aspects of their practice relating to: documentation; staff qualifications; and the range of activities and resources reflecting diversity. The complaints procedure has been developed so that it contains details about the regulator for the information of parents. The times of attendance of staff and children are now recorded in the registration system. This ensures that children's care and welfare are further promoted. However, a record of visitors is not kept and the range of resources has not been extended to include positive images of disability. Whilst an action plan has been drawn up to address the qualification requirements of staff, it has not been effectively implemented. These issues have been taken forward from the present inspection.

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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 inadequate - notice of action to improve. The registered person does not meet 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, the registered person must take the following actions: • take appropriate steps to ensure children's safety at all times • make sure that persons having unsupervised access to children are suitable to do so • develop and implement an action plan that sets out how staff training and qualification requirements will be met. These actions are set out in a notice of action to improve and must be completed by the date specified in the notice.

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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 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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