Grove Community Project

Grove Community Project Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 229100 Inspection date 22/02/2012 Inspector Karen Cooper

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Setting address 21 Arthur Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands, B21 9HY Telephone number 0121 515 3864 Email groveproject@hotmail.com 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.

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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

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

Grove Community Project Nursery is a charitable organisation managed by a voluntary committee. It was registered in 1994 and operates from a self-contained building,which is situated in the Handsworth area of Birmingham. All children share access to a secure, enclosed, outdoor play area. The setting serves the local and surrounding areas.

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Description of the setting

The setting is open each weekday from 9am until 3pm, all year round. It also offers before and after school care from 7.45am until 9am and 3.15pm until 6pm and a play scheme. Sessions are from 8am until 5.30pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 32 children aged between two and eight years may attend at any one time. There are currently 95 children on roll. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare register. It is in receipt of funding for early education places. The setting 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

There are nine members of staff who work with the children. Of these, one holds a qualified teacher status and one is working towards an Early Years Practitioner Status, six other members of staff hold a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level three and one holds an NVQ at Level two. The setting 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are happy to attend this welcoming and stimulating setting. They have access to a range of quality toys and resources, which help them to make good progress in their learning and development. Excellent relationships have been established with parents and other early years practitioners and professionals, to ensure children's individual needs are well-met. There is a range of written policies and procedures in place, which are mostly effective. Staff demonstrate a strong capacity towards continuous improvement and improving outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain information with regard to who has legal contact with individual children and who has parental responsibility for them. (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 07/03/2012 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 develop further the complaints procedure to include the correct details for contacting Ofsted.

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the early years provision

The staff have a good understanding of how to protect children and recognise that this is their first priority. They are vigilant, aware of signs and symptoms of possible abuse and know the appropriate procedures to follow, should they have concerns about a child. They have attended training to ensure their knowledge is up-to-date and a clear safe guarding policy is discussed with parents before their child attends the setting. Robust vetting and induction procedures for staff and students working at the setting, ensure children are further safeguarded. The use of both visual and written assessments carried out on the whole of the premises and any outing undertaken with the children, ensures that potential hazards are identified and minimised. There are clear procedures in place to ensure children are collected only by authorised people and a security system installed throughout the building, ensures there can be no unauthorised access to children. However,

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the early years provision

information with regards to who has legal parental responsibility, has not been obtained in writing from parents to ensure children's welfare is fully protected. The premises are welcoming, stimulating and promote a child-centred approach, which enables children to be independent and feel secure.

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the early years provision

This is an inclusive setting where warm and caring staff have a good knowledge of each child's individual needs. The manager values the staff, who all work well as a team and are committed to raising outcomes for children. The staff are dedicated to professional development and regularly attend further training and workshops, to update their skills and knowledge. The self-evaluation process is a shared experience that involves all staff, parents and children. For example, regular questionnaires are issued to parents for them to state how they would like to improve the setting. Action plans from the local authority are implemented competently and the staff demonstrate a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvement. As a consequence, recommendations from the last inspection are fully addressed.

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the early years provision

Staff have established excellent partnerships with parents. They have implemented an effective communication system to record important information pertaining to children's care, to ensure their individual needs are well-met. Meetings, coffee mornings, fund raising events and planned projects, ensure parents feel included in the running of the setting. The children's individual learning journeys are used as a joint process between the setting and home, to ensure that parents are fully informed of their child's progress and achievements. Parents are provided with a variety of information outlining the settings policies and procedures, daily routines and activities. However, the complaints procedure does not include the correct details for contacting Ofsted, should a parent wish to express a concern. The setting have formed very strong links with the local schools that some of the children also attend and other professionals, to provide continuity of care and

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the early years provision

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 learning. They liaise very closely with other relevant professionals and the presence of a trained Special Educational Needs Coordinator, helps ensure each child's needs are fully met.

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and outcomes for children

Children happily separate from their parents or carers and have established good relationships with each other and staff. They develop good social and independent skills and are encouraged to help with everyday activities, such as, tidying away toys and serving snacks. Children are valued and the staff help them to feel good about themselves by frequently providing positive support, praise and encouragement, while managing their behaviour well. This helps build children's self-esteem. The staff focuses on children's enjoyment and achievement through an effective balance of adult and child-led activities. The settings environment reflects the 'Reggio Emilia' approach, which allows children to experiment and have freedom to choose where and what they play with. This results in children becoming active learners. The staff have implemented robust arrangements to monitor and evaluate children's progress and regularly observes them as they play,

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and outcomes for children

recording what they see. The information gained from these observations is used effectively to plan the next steps in children's developmental progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children are keen to join in the activities and encouraged to try out new skills. For example, they thoroughly enjoy making marks and patterns in sand, which is further extended when using computer programmes to create other designs. They love using the camera to take photographs and samples of their work are attractively displayed around the setting, to provide them with a sense of belonging. Children's problem solving skills are effectively supported through everyday activities. They talk about and observe numbers, colours and shapes around them. They sort and compare different objects and match them to the same coloured dishes. They count each other at registration time and encouraged to count in descending order. Children become engrossed as they sit and listen with interest to stories and enthusiastically join in singing familiar nursery rhymes and action songs. Children have good opportunities to develop their understanding

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and outcomes for children

of how things work through the use of a variety of programmable resources, such as, a light box, telephones, cash registers and an over head projector. They talk about silhouettes, shadows and the difference in size of the various objects placed onto the projector. Children have access to a broad range of resources, play opportunities and activities, which reflect diversity and acknowledge cultural differences and are helped to consider and value each other's differences. They are creative, imaginative and enjoy playing musical instruments. They love to make up their own tunes and tap out the beat to familiar songs. Children learn about the importance of fresh air and physical exercise because good attention is given to their physical development. They love being outside and confidently explore in a safe, well-equipped environment. They use climbing equipment and wheeled toys with confidence and enjoy running around in the fresh air. All of these experiences

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and outcomes for children

help children to develop important skills for their future and help prepare them for the transition to school. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children follow the rules that are in place to keep them safe. They know not to run indoors, to share and to be kind to each other. They regularly join in fire evacuation practises to ensure that they know what to do in an emergency and learn how to cross the road safety when on outings. Children follow good hygiene routines and know when to wash their hands. There are good arrangements in place to care for children who are ill and all staff are trained in administering first aid. Children learn about the importance of eating healthy foods through daily discussions and planned topics. Parents are encouraged to send healthy packed lunches for their children which the staff ensures are stored appropriately. Mealtimes are relaxed, social occasions, when children and staff sit together

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and outcomes for children

around the table to enjoy their food and each other's company. The staff are fully aware of each child's individual dietary needs and ensures these are met. 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 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 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 2 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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