Anouska's Kids Club

Anouska's Kids Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY290408 Inspection date 05/07/2011 Inspector Hilary Preece

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Setting address The Grove, Chandlers Cross, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, WD3 4TG Telephone number 01923 296077 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

Anouska's Kids Club is privately owned by Ralph Trustees Ltd and was registered in 2004. It operates from a purpose-built building within the grounds of The Grove Hotel in Chandlers Cross, near Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. The club provides care for children whose parents work within the hotel. There is also a creche facility for children whose parents are hotel residents or spa and golf club members. It is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. Additionally, children use the outdoor facilities within the hotel grounds including woodland areas, the vegetable garden, the beach and pool areas. The club is not open to the general public.

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Description of the setting

The kids club opens each day throughout the week from 7.30am to 7pm for staff member's children. The creche operates each day between the hours of 9am and 5pm. A maximum of 65 children may attend the club at any one time. There are currently 27 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The club is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The club provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The club employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above and one is working towards a level 2 qualification. The club 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

A unique relationship between the nursery and hotel community ensures procedures for keeping children safe are rigorous and opportunities to support children's learning are boundless. High adult-to-child ratios mean that staff get to understand and meet the needs of all children exceptionally well. Excellent partnerships between parents and some strong links with other agencies ensure children's individual needs are met and their learning and development are promoted well. This means that children make first-class progress, given their starting points, age and ability. Self-evaluation is highly effective in responding to the needs of users and in bringing about improvements.

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further?

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

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further?

 exploring ways of sharing information with all settings children attend or move onto to support continuity and coherence This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  developing additional resources and activities to reflect the backgrounds of those children attending.

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the early years provision

Highly effective arrangements exist to ensure that children are safeguarded. There are rigorous recruitment and vetting procedures, carried out in conjunction with the hotel's Human Resources department, that ensure adults are suitable and have the required knowledge and/or experience to work with young children. Excellent ongoing support for staff training and development contributes to the development of a knowledgeable and motivated workforce. All staff members attend training in safeguarding children, topped up with regular refresher sessions. This ensures they have a secure awareness of the signs of abuse. Consequently, the safeguarding children policy is very well understood and appropriate action is taken in the event of any concerns about a child's well-being or allegations made against staff. In addition, all staff hold paediatric first aid certificates and follow well-established procedures for administering first aid and medicines to children.

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the early years provision

The safety, security and supervision of the children are managed extremely well. Meticulous risk assessments are carried out to ensure children remain safe when using all areas of the premises and hotel grounds, when taking part in activities and on outings beyond the hotel. For example, arrangements are in place to ensure staff accompanying children on outings or walks around the grounds can alert hotel security or the police immediately if they are faced with any threat or emergency. Minimum adult-to-child ratios are mostly exceeded so that children receive high levels of support and supervision from the staff. Resources are used extremely effectively. The well-equipped indoor and outdoor areas, and additional use of the hotel's facilities and grounds, contribute to highly positive outcomes for children's learning.

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the early years provision

The club's vision is to 'continuously enthuse, motivate and support the learning of all children and staff and to build their self-esteem'. Annual objectives are set in order to realise this vision. These form the basis of improvements and are closely reviewed by the whole staff team at monthly meetings, with systems being in place to measure the impact of improvements. Self-evaluation effectively takes account of the views of children, staff and parents and has led to some significant improvements. For example, displays and notice boards keep parents much better informed about the educational programme and strategies have been introduced to involve parents in their children's learning at home. In addition, the nursery has recognised that there is a need for air conditioning to ensure the comfort of children and staff and this is planned to be installed over the next 12 months. Menus have also been reviewed to offer greater variety with input from staff,

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the early years provision

Parents are fully involved in supporting the welfare and development of their children from the start and arrangements for sharing information and getting to know individual children are very well managed through the settling-in process and key worker system. Additional support is provided to ensure children with special This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included and enabled to make good progress based on their starting points. This includes effective partnerships with external agencies as required. Parents are given access to the full range of nursery policies and procedures. They are kept up-to-date with current developments through newsletters, which are translated into parents' home language where required. They have access at any time to their children's learning records and are provided with quarterly written reports to illustrate their children's progress. Some

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the early years provision

parents comment on how much their children have learned since attending and really appreciate the approachability of the staff and the spacious and pleasant environment.

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the early years provision

Some positive links are made with schools in the local area that children move on to in order to share information and prepare children for the transition. This includes visits by the school teachers. However, not all children benefit as the nursery does not take steps to build links or share information with schools or settings beyond the local area that children currently attend or will attend in the future.

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and outcomes for children

A highly stimulating and well-planned environment contributes significantly to the children's welfare and learning. Rooms are set out to allow children to explore and select resources as they wish. A safe, well-equipped quiet room provides children in pre-school with excellent opportunities to explore and develop skills for the future. They experiment with mark making and early writing on white boards, select books, listen to group stories and operate audio equipment and a computer. They use number displays and resources to develop problem solving, reasoning and numeracy skills. Children confidently demonstrate mature knowledge for their age by singing alphabet songs and practicing newly learned skills, such as counting up in two's.

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and outcomes for children

Outdoor play is particularly well used to promote safety awareness, healthy lifestyles and physical development. Babies begin to coordinate their movements as they experiment by flicking brushes with water in the garden and feel the sensation of water brushed on to their hands. Challenging climbing equipment allows children to develop confidence and agility under close supervision by staff. Children regularly use the hotel's 'Walled Garden' to play large group games or visit the vegetable garden to help the gardeners nurture the plants and see the chef harvesting produce to cook for their meals. This gives them first-hand experience of where their food comes from. Additionally, children learn to take care of their environment by planting and watering flowers in the nursery garden. Rigorous health and hygiene procedures are followed that help children understand the importance of washing their hands, brushing their teeth and taking

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and outcomes for children

responsibility for their personal care. Children show mature levels of understanding about the need to protect themselves from burning in the sun by wearing sun cream and hats.

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and outcomes for children

Children's well-being is supported extremely well by staff members who This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understand the individual needs of each child. Individual routines are fully discussed and agreed with parents so children receive consistent care and support. As a result, babies are relaxed and content because they are rested and well fed. Children build strong relationships with their carers and each other. Consistent approaches by the staff and positive role modelling enable children to understand expectations and to modify their behaviour if required. Consequently, children are well behaved, helpful and polite. They develop independence from an early age as staff members successfully motivate children through praise and encouragement, for example, to undo their buttons or attempt to put on their shoes. Children enthusiastically serve their own meals, clear away their plates and fetch their

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and outcomes for children

The club is very welcoming and inclusive. It welcomes visitors from the hotel and beyond to help children develop awareness of the roles of different people and of cultural diversity. Examples of this include regular visits from the hotel gardeners or maintenance team to discuss their jobs and a demonstration by a Chinese lion dancer to celebrate Chinese New Year. Attention is given to ensure those children and families who speak English as an additional language have the same opportunities and that cultural differences are celebrated. Recently a family shared a traditional practice to celebrate their child's first steps by bringing in a cake for everyone to share. Children further explore diversity and difference through activities and using some artefacts and books, but these do not necessarily reflect the backgrounds of those families using the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

Planning, observation and assessment of children is rigorous. A long-term plan ensures that children receive a well-balanced programme of learning. Key workers make observations on children every day they attend, which they use to identify their next steps and plan relevant and motivating experiences based on the needs of individual children. However, staff very much recognise the need to be flexible and will adapt plans to allow for spontaneous activities as circumstances dictate, thus ensuring children's interests remain central to all planning. Safety procedures are followed meticulously to ensure children remain safe. 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 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 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 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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