Downs View and Kennington After School Club Ltd

Downs View and Kennington After School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY330786 Inspection date 09/06/2011 Inspector Sue Hall

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Setting address Downs View County Infant School, Ball Lane, Kennington, Ashford, Kent, TN25 4PJ Telephone number 01233 632339 Email downsviewandkenningtonasc@hotmail.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 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.

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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.

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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

Downs View and Kennington After School Club has been registered since 2006. It is run by a committee. It operates from a mobile classroom in the playground of Downs View Infant School in the Kennington area of Ashford. The group also collects children from Kennington Junior School. It serves the local community and surrounding area. There is access to the school's outdoor play areas. A maximum of 25 children may attend the group at any one time, and there are currently 40 children on roll. The club is open Monday to Friday from 3pm to 5.45pm during term times and from 8.45am to 5.45pm for some periods during school holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The group is able to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, but has none on roll at the moment. The group employs five staff, four of whom are qualified to at least NVQ level 2 and three at level 3. The group

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Description of the setting

receives support from Kent Play Clubs, the Local Authority and the staff from the school.

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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 quality of the provision is good. Children enjoy taking part in a well organised range of activities indoors and outside and particularly enjoy using the on-site adventure playground and spacious play areas. Children behave well and all are included fully in activities many of which they choose themselves. Self-assessment is good and the manager and staff have a clear understanding of the settings strengths and areas for development. There is good capacity to improve further.

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further?

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

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further?

 Check that all policies that support the children's welfare are regularly reviewed, signed and dated accordingly.  Ensure that all risk assessments are conducted rigorously and identify and address issues related to the storage of equipment.

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the early years provision

Children are looked after well because staff have good awareness and understanding of safeguarding and child-protection issues. Staff are well qualified and experienced in working with children of this age and keep up-to-date through attending additional training activities. They successfully implement comprehensive This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 policies and procedures to ensure that everyone is kept safe. All appropriate policies, records and procedures are in place and used well to promote children's welfare. However, some policies are undated and unsigned it is not clear when they were last reviewed which does not help new staff identify where minor changes might be required. Staff check carefully that children use the outdoor equipment properly and allow them the opportunity for very active and adventurous play. All adults have appropriate First Aid training and show good

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the early years provision

skills and awareness of individual needs following accidents, which are carefully managed and recorded. Site issues, such as an overhanging tree branch, are immediately addressed when identified. Risk assessments, including daily checks of the facilities are made to ensure the multi-use accommodation is ready for this group. However, risk assessments are sometimes too 'light touch' and do not identify and address some concerns including the insecure storage of play equipment and materials which could be a safety hazard.

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the early years provision

The setting meets the needs of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage well as it does for the older children. Planning shows a clear awareness of the different areas of learning. There is a good balance between adult-led tasks and those which enable children to decide what they would like to do. Staff make careful assessment notes of what the youngest children do which form a part of their individual records and are used to help plan subsequent activities. Steps are taken to promote equality and diversity with the needs of boys and girls, the youngest and oldest taken fully into account. Children enjoy celebrating different festivals and environments and as result learn more about, for example, unusual animals as seen in good quality art work of a Komodo dragon.

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the early years provision

The setting works successfully with the local authority to continually improve provision. Work with the school improvement partner has ensured good self- evaluation procedures have continued through recent staff changes. There is an effective partnership with the two host schools to provide continuity of care and learning. Resources are used well to provide children with very enjoyable experiences which secure good progress especially in their personal development and physical skills. Links with parents and carers are excellent. All of those spoken to during the inspection expressed their delight about how much their children enjoy attending the sessions with one parent noting how their child is grumpy if they arrive early. Parents and carers say that they are in no doubt that children are safe and well looked after. Staff pay particular attention to passing information to parents regarding daily activities including what children have eaten and the activities they

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the early years provision

particularly enjoyed. Together with newsletters, children's records and other information including about holiday time activities this ensures parents and carers feel well informed.

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and outcomes for children

Children say they feel safe, are very happy and like attending the after school This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 sessions. This is because staff have successfully created a positive and very caring environment where everyone feels welcome. Children know they have to use the climbing and swinging bars with awareness of others and they play well together with balls and catching equipment and when playing football. Staff are particularly adept at adjusting activities to meet the learning and social needs of the different age groups. For example they provide a bowl of soapy water for the youngest children to wash the play picnic apparatus to extend the initial activity further. Adults also respond well to children's emotional needs recognizing when they need comfort. For example after a minor accident a tearful child is encouraged to speak to its parent to provide a bit of support.

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and outcomes for children

There is excellent provision for children to adopt healthy lifestyles. Not only are there outstanding opportunities for active outdoor play there is excellent provision to promote healthy eating. Parents and carers note their children benefit from the healthy menus and are now more willing to try, for example, peppers and cucumber after eating them here. The children's contribution to the community is good because they know that adults actively listen to what they have to say. Staff encourage children to take responsibility including that for getting out and putting away equipment. Strong relationships between children and with adults result in good behaviour which helps children develop the personal and social skills to equip them for their future. Children are confident that everyone behaves well leading to the assertion by one older child that 'there are no bullies here'. Samples of children's recent work on display and photographic evidence show

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and outcomes for children

that there is a good range of activities that support their progress in all areas of their learning and development. Children say they like playing outside most and also enjoy art activities and chatting together at tea-time. Here, while discussion is somewhat noisy, children enjoy mixing with those of other ages and chatting about their day. Great fun was obvious in the creative and imaginative play of some of the older boys when using a good range of animal play-suits. Children also learn more about the world around them through a recent focus on animals and the current topic 'under the sea'. Adults make good use of questions to encourage children to discuss their ideas which helps develop their verbal skills further. Staff also promotes the thinking of the youngest children when discussing the size and shape of some of the items for the picnic set and counting their scores in different games. 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 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 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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