Ladybirds Kinderclass Ltd

Ladybirds Kinderclass Ltd Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 321579 Inspection date 16/05/2011 Inspector Linda Filewood

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Setting address St Andrew's Church Hall, Huntington Road, York, North Yorkshire, YO31 9HU Telephone number 01904 750363 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 assesses 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.

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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

Ladybirds Kinderclass Ltd opened in 1992. It is a privately owned provision and operates from St Andrew's Church Hall in Huntington near York. There is an enclosed area for outdoor play plus a specially designed wooded area belonging to the provision.

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Description of the setting

Ladybirds Kinderclass Ltd opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 12noon and 12.30pm to 3.30pm term time only. The group serves the local area and children attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 20 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 67 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Ladybirds Kinderclass Ltd is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The group provides funded early education for three and four-year olds. They support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

Ladybirds Kinderclass Ltd employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds appropriate early years qualification at level 2 and three at level 3 or above. The group receives support from the local authority and the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff effectively support each child's learning and development through a close working relationship with parents and in partnership with others. They appropriately promote children's welfare and have a well-developed knowledge of each child's needs. However, not all policy documents contain the required elements to support the safeguarding welfare requirements. Children thoroughly enjoy the newly designed wooded area and this has significant impact on their enjoyment of outdoor play. The staff team effectively use regular self-evaluation to ensure that they identify, prioritise and act on areas for development to raise the quality of the provision.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 ensure the child protection statement includes the procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 30/05/2011

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  continue to review to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that hazards to children when playing in the outdoor wooded area are kept to a minimum  continue to improve good hygiene practice especially with regard to drinking cups and hand-washing arrangements after children have used the toilet facilities  ensure observations of children's play show the area of learning they are connected to, are sufficiently detailed and are used to identify the next steps in children's development.

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the early years provision

Clear recruitment and induction procedures are in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children. Staff now undergo annual appraisals and make good use of continuous professional development opportunities to develop their practice and provision. This has a positive impact on the outcomes for children as staff cascade training information to other members of staff. All the documentation, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are in place. However, there is no procedure to follow in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff within the safeguarding children policy and procedure. This is a breach of regulation. Staff are well aware of their duty to the children and supervise any volunteers appropriately at all times. They work cooperatively with outside agencies, advisers and parents to offer appropriate help to those children who require additional

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the early years provision

support. The playgroup utilises the space with their room to offer children balanced play opportunities in a safe environment. Children have consistent routines that they are familiar and comfortable with, giving them a clear sense of security. The well-resourced and very imaginatively designed new wooded outdoor area allows children to play safely with an element of risk. Older children understand the boundaries, some of which are not well defined, and know how to keep themselves safe when playing in the area. However, a potential risk remains, particularly for younger children or children who forget the boundaries despite reminders before going out to play. Staff are fully aware of the need to supervise very closely and to continually risk assess this new, exciting outdoor provision.

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the early years provision

Parents are very happy with the service provided. They find the staff friendly and approachable and state that they will be sad when their children leave. Information-sharing systems are effective in identifying and supporting children's individual needs. There are good channels of communication with parents. These are continuing to develop with outside agencies and will continue to impact positively on the care and development for children requiring extra support. Staff are establishing links with other settings children attend and schools they will be attending in the future to ensure they share information effectively. This ensures continuity in children's care, learning and welfare.

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the early years provision

The staff team are committed to continually improving their provision and make every effort to achieve the best outcomes for all children. Self-evaluation systems effectively identify key strengths and areas for development in order to secure This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 further improvement. This involves meaningfully involving staff and parents. Some aspects of the recommendations set at the last inspection have still to be successfully addressed to further ensure children's welfare. Improvements made to date, such as the development of the excellent outdoor play provision, have had a positive impact on the overall quality of the provision and the outcomes for children.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and most settle quickly into the session's activities. Close relationships with staff are evident. All children enjoy a balance of adult-led and child-initiated play opportunities throughout the playgroup sessions. Staff work in small groups with children to support their individual development and offer challenge through good questioning techniques. Their meaningful praise and encouragement gives children confidence and promotes their self-esteem. Staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. They plan the range of activities to ensure that every child is suitably challenged by the learning opportunities available. Staff make observations of children's play and parents contribute well to their child's record. Assessment records show that all children are making good progress towards the early learning goals in relation to their starting points and capabilities. However, some

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and outcomes for children

observations made by staff do not show the area of learning they are connected to and lack sufficient evaluative detail. This means that they are not as effective as they could be in focusing on the next steps in children's development.

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and outcomes for children

The outstanding outdoor experiences children now have means they fully enjoy physical activity in the fresh air. This significantly enhances their health and wellbeing. They are visibly excited and have tremendous fun balancing on logs and digging in the soil. They listen for birds and the sound the wind makes in the trees. All children respond well to the staff's instruction to gather under 'Trevor the Tree' before moving to sit for a picnic snack. They balance plates of sandwiches they have made earlier carefully on their knees and are polite when choosing a drink. Inside the setting children access water independently, using a small water machine. However, the number of cups is insufficient and, as a result, children sometimes use the same cup as another child. Further lapses in good hygiene practices occur after toileting when some children forget to clean their hands before returning to their play. Children are developing a good understanding of

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and outcomes for children

healthy eating through discussion with staff during activities. They learn to handle a knife safely and butter bread carefully. This promotes their independence and gives them confidence.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress in information and communication technology skills. Some choose to work cooperatively alongside their friends and understand the need to share their time fairly on the computer. Others become engrossed and use a mouse competently to match shapes, colour areas and draw their own picture to print out. Older children talk readily about what they are doing and name colours easily. Staff manage the group times very well and encourage all children to participate, for example, by discussing shapes and drawing it in the air This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 before naming it.

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and outcomes for children

Children engage well in a variety of activities that foster their hand and eye coordination. For example, they thread laces through holes in a card or pour water very carefully from one container to another. Children participate well in role-play with dolls and enjoy their craft activity. Staff follow a theme of healthy eating to discuss 'good' foods as children cut out pictures of food and stick them onto a plate. The playgroup is now providing more opportunities to support children's understanding of writing for different purposes. There are envelopes, paper and notebooks with pencils freely available for children to enjoy. Children are developing a good understanding of diversity through activities such as craft, stories, talking about other countries and singing songs. Their behaviour is generally good and they are beginning to show a good awareness of responsibility within the setting as they help to tidy toys away.

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and outcomes for children

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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3 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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