Elm Grove Childcare Club

Elm Grove Childcare Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 155347 Inspection date 24/11/2011 Inspector Fiona Robinson

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Setting address Elm Grove First School,, Elm Grove, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 5LQ Telephone number 07909 873507 Email Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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

Elm Grove Childcare Centre was registered in 2003 and operates from Elm Grove First School in Worthing, in West Sussex. There is ramped disability access to the building. The nursery uses a classroom adjacent to the foundation unit with access to a securely enclosed outdoor area. The club uses three classrooms, the school hall and swimming pool. All children have access to the school's outdoor play areas and adventure gardens and off-site visits are made to the nearby park. There is provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. The centre is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 80 children aged from three to under eight years may attend the club at any one time. There are currently 60 children on roll, of whom 17 are under five years of age. It is open each weekday, during term time, from 7.30am

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Description of the setting

to 9am for the breakfast club; and 3pm to 6pm for the after-school club. Children come from the school and other local schools and attend for a variety of the sessions on offer. The holiday playscheme is open to children from the wider community. There are 15 members of staff who work with the children. Of these, 10 hold National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) at level 3 or the equivalent, and two hold NVQs at level 2. Three are qualified lifeguards. Little Elms Childcare Centre Nursery is open each weekday from 9am to 3pm, during term time. A maximum of 24 children under eight years may attend at any one time and of these, none may be under two years of age. There are currently 52 children on roll who are under five years of age, of whom 38 receive funding. There are seven members of staff, of whom one holds a BTech and is working towards an Early Years Foundation degree. All members of staff hold NVQs at level

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Description of the setting

3 or the equivalent. The nursery 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

The quality of the provision is outstanding. Children achieve very well in this stimulating environment and are fully included in an outstanding range of indoor and outdoor activities. There are excellent links with parents, the host school, outside agencies and the community, and information is shared very effectively and fully supports children's care and well-being. Children behave extremely well and staff are highly skilled at increasing their understanding of keeping healthy and safe. The managers and staff have an outstanding knowledge of the strengths and areas for improvement in all aspects of the provision, such as increasing resources. They demonstrate an excellent capacity for future improvement.

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further?

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 develop more frequent use of technology in activities to support children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

Children's safety is protected exceptionally well because staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding and child protection issues. Comprehensive policies and procedures are fully implemented to ensure children are kept safe and secure. Risk assessments are very thorough and carried out daily to ensure the environment is kept safe. Staff are deployed very effectively so that children are supervised at all times. Children have access to a wide range of equipment that is well-maintained, safe and suitable for their age. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that adults working with or having contact with the children are highly suitable. Collection procedures are rigorous and followed very carefully by staff and parents. Fire evacuation procedures are practised regularly to familiarise staff and children with the routine. Elm Grove Childcare is led and managed outstandingly well. The managers and

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the early years provision

staff of the nursery, clubs and playscheme meet regularly as a team to discuss activities, assessments and areas for improvement. They share the ambition to provide high quality childcare, and continuous reflective discussion and evaluation takes place. There are excellent self-evaluation processes in place which ensure that improvements have a significant impact on the children's experiences. They take into consideration the views of parents and children. Staff regularly monitor activities and set challenging targets for children. They make very effective use of an excellent range of resources to meet most of the needs of the children. They promote equality and diversity to a very high level and ensure children integrate very well. Staff provide excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language,

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the early years provision

so that they make similar progress to their peers. Staff have a very clear idea of areas for development, such as increasing the resources in technology for children at the nursery. Planning indicates that opportunities are sometimes missed to make the fullest use of computers and digital cameras in activities for the youngest children, which limits the development of these skills. Parents and carers receive regular information through informal discussions, the parents' notice board and comprehensive newsletters. Key staff keep them very well-informed of their children's achievement and progress. Parents are very appreciative of the children's learning journey records and consultation meetings. They are very supportive of special events, such as the Christmas tree festival, sports day and fundraising activities, such as Children in Need. There are excellent links with the community and parents are very supportive of the outings

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the early years provision

children make to the shops, church, library and beach. Links with the host school are outstanding and the nursery, clubs and holiday playscheme benefit from the use of the hall, swimming pool and outdoor environment. Children experience a smooth transition into full-time education and a safe transfer to and from school This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 at the beginning and end of the day. Staff work very closely with outside agencies so that children's individual needs are met extremely well.

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and outcomes for children

There is a strong emphasis on learning through play, and children at the nursery, clubs and playscheme achieve exceptionally well in a bright, purposeful environment. Staff value highly the children's own ideas and include these in their planning. They skilfully use assessment information to plan the children's next steps in learning. Themes, such as Halloween, Pirates and Volcanoes result in colourful displays which celebrate children's achievements. Children behave extremely well because staff are excellent role models with high expectations. Children are very thoughtful and considerate of one another and share their toys and resources sensibly. All children understand the rules and boundaries they have helped to introduce. There is excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. Topics about different lifestyles, customs and cultures help

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and outcomes for children

children to gain an excellent understanding of the wider world. Children are fully included in the celebration of festivals, such as Harvest, Diwali, Christmas, the Chinese New Year and Jamaica Day. Children learn about life in Poland and Turkey and especially enjoy food tasting and African drumming experiences. Children develop an excellent understanding of keeping healthy and safe at the nursery, clubs and playscheme. They make healthy choices and eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables, which they have helped to select at the local shops. They learn to use equipment very safely as they prepare their own fruit kebabs, pizzas and milkshakes. Children develop their physical skills extremely well as they use adventure equipment, with access to walkways, ropes and ladders for climbing, jumping and learning to balance. They are very careful when playing football, swimming and riding their pedalled vehicles. Children benefit from talks on safety

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and outcomes for children

from the police and fire services and practise their road safety skills as they walk to the shops and library. Children experience an excellent range of interesting activities and achieve exceptionally well. They make music, create dances and invent stories that develop into dynamic art and craft activities and projects, such as making rockets and kites. Children's communication, language and literacy skills are developed very well through listening to stories such as 'The Three Little Pigs' and they enjoy designing and decorating houses for them to live in. Children's creative and investigative skills are developed particularly well as they make exploding volcanoes. They are keen to re-enact the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and grow beanstalks for Jack to climb. Children cooperate very well as they play parachute games. They make independent choices from a wide range of resources and play opportunities. Most

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and outcomes for children

children can count and recognise numbers up to twenty and beyond and recognise two-dimensional shapes in the environment. They enjoy searching for pirate treasure in the outdoor environment. Playscheme children benefit from wonderful experiences such as drama workshops, gymnastic ribbon dancing, visits to the seaside and bus trips to theme parks. Children at the club hold their own talent This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 competitions and enjoy performing for one another. Overall, children are prepared extremely well for future learning experiences. 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 1 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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