Happy Days Breakfast and After School Club

Base Zero Pre-School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY311291 Inspection date 13/01/2012 Inspector Justine George

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Setting address Sedgehill Community Centre, 69-85 Sedgehill Road, London, SE6 3QN Telephone number 0208 4613510 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

Base Zero Pre-School is privately owned by Happy Days Ltd. This registered provision encompasses the pre-school and an out of school club known as Happy Days After School Club. The club has been operating since 1995 and the pre- school has been registered since 2005. The setting operates from Sedgehill Road community centre and has use of a hall and two lobby areas. It is situated in a residential area of Catford. A maximum of 35 children may attend the setting at any one time. The pre-school is open each week day, term time only from 9.30am until 3pm, although children attend earlier and later if required. There is a breakfast club that is open from 7.30am until 9am and an after school club that is open from 3pm until 6.30pm term time only. A holiday play scheme operates from 7.30am until 6pm during school holidays, although this is closed for the last two weeks of summer holiday and over Christmas. There is access to a secure enclosed

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Description of the setting

The group is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 93 children on roll and 53 children are in the early years age range. The setting serves children from the local community. Children are taken and collected from different schools. The setting receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged three and four.

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Description of the setting

There are six staff employed to work with children who have appropriate early years qualifications, and two volunteers.

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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

Children make good progress in their learning and development in relation to their starting points. Staff interact well with the children to enhance their learning. Generally, most activities are well planned but they are not always sufficiently resourced to encourage children to participate and to ensure children are fully challenged and motivated by what is offered. Children's health and safety are promoted adequately. There are weaknesses in risk assessment and in the implementation of hygiene procedures that compromise children's welfare. Self evaluation has not identified all weaknesses but action taken for improvement is generally well-targeted and likely to improve outcomes for children. This demonstrates a sound capacity to secure improvement.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must: This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  ensure the risk assessment identifies all aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis: maintain a detailed record of these particular aspects and when and by whom they have been checked. Take all reasonable steps to ensure that hazards to children - both indoors and outdoors - are kept to a minimum (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 29/02/2012

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further?

 ensure the good health of the children by taking necessary steps to prevent cross infection, with particular regard to ensuring that all staff implement hygienic nappy changing routines and that the facilities for changing children who are in nappies are suitable (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 29/02/2012

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further?

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

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further?

 improve role play areas by providing resources to create an exciting experience to stimulate children's interest and curiosity, and encourage children to engage in symbolic play  work collaboratively within the setting to share knowledge and question practice to continually look for ways to improve the quality of activities. For example by evaluating how children engage with all the experiences available.

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the early years provision

Most aspects of children's safety and well-being is suitably promoted. Robust vetting procedures are in place. Adults have had, or are in the process of having the required checks carried out. This helps to ensure their suitability in caring for children. Several staff are trained in first aid. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of most of the setting's policies and procedures.. They demonstrate good awareness of safeguarding matters and what to do if they have any concerns about a child's well-being. However not all staff implement suitable nappy changing procedures and as a result the risk of cross-infection is not always minimised. Also some areas of the setting are not maintained to a good level of cleanliness. Other safety risks are effectively identified and suitable action is taken to minimise them. Staff are vigilant in their supervision to promote children's safety. However, the record of risk assessment does not contain all required

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the early years provision

information and this is a breach of a legal requirement.

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the early years provision

Equality and diversity are well promoted in the setting. This is because the staff team has a good understanding of children's needs. There are strong systems in place to promote multi agency working. This supports staff in narrowing the achievement gap for children as all professionals work together to promote This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 continuity of care and learning. The staff team has also developed strong partnerships with parents. Good communication takes place on a daily basis to inform parents of their child's general well-being. Parents are given good information about the setting's responsibilities in caring for children. Parents comment that they are happy with the service. In addition, they report that they have regular opportunities to meet with staff to discuss their children's needs and progress. Parents also receive regular newsletters and written communication to

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the early years provision

inform them of future events and topics. As a result, parents are involved in supporting their child's learning.

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the early years provision

The deployment of resources is mostly effective and helps to create an enabling environment. Toys are accessible and children choose what they would like to play with. A plentiful choice of activities is offered, but some are better resourced than others. Staff interaction with the children as they engage in activities is good and supports children well during play and throughout the day to ensure their needs are met.

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the early years provision

The setting satisfactorily demonstrates the capacity to secure improvement. Staff work generally well together as a team and are aware of their responsibilities to ensure the setting operates smoothly. Staff attend training courses including safeguarding training and courses on outdoor play. Team meetings take place to share what is learnt from courses and to reflect on some aspects of practice. The team reviews the learning and development opportunities for children, reflecting on what works well. However, they have failed to identify all the weaknesses in their documentation and implementation of procedures. They have also not considered why some activities, such as role play are not used by children, in order to secure further improvement.

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and outcomes for children

Children make good progress in their learning and development. They very much enjoy and achieve and are developing good skills for the future. Staff seek good information from parents to identify where children are in their learning and about their individual backgrounds and needs. This helps staff to initiate suitable plans and support for the children. Children who are learning English as an additional language receive good support. Staff use picture cards and visual objects to support children's understanding of English words and to aid children's communication. Staff also help the children to value people's differences and activities are planned to help them learn about the wider world. Staff regularly observe children during play activities. They use information gathered about children's abilities and interests to plan the next steps for their individual learning. Children's progress is tracked and this provides a clear indication of where they are

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and outcomes for children

in their learning. Staff work hard in planning activities to meet the different needs of children in the group. Planning reflects the interests of children and activities are repeated to allow children to practise their developing skills and to consolidate their learning. There are occasions, however, when insufficient attention is given to the presentation of some activities and children do not engage in them. For This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 example, the shop role play area is insufficiently resourced and as a result children are unable to initiate or extend their imaginative play.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy playing with bricks. They make long lines and develop their understanding of number as they count to15. Staff support children well and count with them to further develop children's awareness of number, calculation and problem-solving. Children enjoy exploring paint. They mix colours to make new ones and explore different shades. Children particularly enjoy playing with sand and the adult at the activity initiate good conversation. She talks about the sand being wet so children can mould with it. Therefore, children develop awareness of changes in texture when sand is wet and dry. Children also enjoy the tactile experience as they grab handfuls of sand and rub it between their fingers.

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and outcomes for children

Children have regular opportunities to enjoy fresh air and exercise. They enjoy playing in the garden and participate in action games to keep warm. Children excitedly jump around pretending to be frogs and then rabbits. Children eat healthy snacks and learn about healthy eating. Care plans are used effectively to meet children's particular health needs and dietary requirements. In the event of children being unwell, parents are contacted and children are sensitively cared for until parents arrive. However, children's health is compromised because the nappy changing mat used is torn and grubby and staff do not consistently implement suitable hygiene measures to minimise the risk of cross-infection.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and are well supported in making a positive contribution. They show confidence and seek support from staff when needed and have developed trusting relationships in addition to family life. They are generally well behaved and when children find it difficult to share staff support children to resolve any conflicts. Staff provide explanations of why certain behaviour is unacceptable to develop children's awareness of behavioural expectations. This promotes fairness and helps children consider the feelings of others and how to keep safe. Children learn how to keep safe as they partake in fire drills and use play equipment safely. For example, when using scooters in the garden children avoid obstacles and think about the space available to avoid accidents. 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 3 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 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 3 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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