Smallwood After School Centre and Holiday Playcentre

Smallwood After School Centre and Holiday Playcentre Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY306311 Inspection date 21/03/2012 Inspector David Thomas Hatchett

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Setting address Smallwood Primary School, Smallwood Road, London, SW17 0TW Telephone number 0208 871 6348 Email playservices@wandsworth.gov.uk 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

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

This setting is run by Wandsworth Play Services and was registered in 2005. It operates from one classroom, one dining area and two halls in Smallwood Primary School, which is situated in the Tooting area of south west London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth. Children have access to the playground and playing fields within the enclosed school grounds. The after school centre is open each weekday from 3.30pm to 5.45pm during school term times and the holiday playscheme is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm during some school holidays. The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The setting may care for no more than 84 children from three years to under eight years; of these, not more than 24 may be in the early years age group, at any one time. There are currently 36 children on roll, of whom 12 are of early years age. During the inspection, there were 18

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Description of the setting

children present, of whom eight were of early years age. The setting has experience of supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those for whom English is an additional language. There are four members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two staff hold a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 3 and two staff hold equivalent qualifications at NVQ Level 2. The manager took up post within the setting in September 2011.

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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

Smallwood After School Centre provides children with a satisfactory standard of education and care. Children enjoy their time at the setting, behave well and make a positive contribution, and most make sound progress as a result of some engaging and stimulating activities. However, some activities are not planned sufficiently well, or take too long, resulting in too much wasted time, for example during 'snack time' sessions. Self-evaluation is at the early stages of development, and does not accurately identify and flag areas which need attention. Nevertheless, there have been satisfactory improvements overall since the last inspection, and this demonstrates the setting's sound capacity for further improvement in the future.

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further?

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

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further?

 increase the pace during 'snack times' so that time is not lost, and develop further the children's understanding of ways in which to develop a healthy lifestyle  track children's progress more systematically against the areas of learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and early learning goals whilst at the setting, to ensure that children make good progress over time  develop the planning and evaluation of activities so that staff identify how activities will cater for all abilities and evaluate their success  develop self-evaluation processes within the setting, so that judgements are supported by evidence and shared with all staff  identify explicitly the named designated person(s) for child protection within the setting's safeguarding policy, procedures and handbook.

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the early years provision

Satisfactory leadership and management have ensured that most aspects of safeguarding meet requirements. For example, staff have a good knowledge of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare, and risk assessments are in place at both a short- and longer-term level which are appropriate detailed. Staff are vetted to ensure they are suitable people to work with children. A child protection and safeguarding policy is in place, although in places it is too generic, for example it does not state who the designated person(s) is within the setting. The manager, as designated person, has not received recent training in child protection, although is booked on a course. This was not identified in the setting's self-evaluation process. There is sound ambition and drive for improvement. The manager has worked hard to improve provision since the last inspection, and has addressed the

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the early years provision

recommendations for improvement adequately. For example, staff have been appropriately trained in the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, some aspects of the setting's work have declined since the last inspection, for example the quality of safeguarding procedures which are now satisfactory rather than good, and the setting's provision to promote healthy lifestyles. There is good promotion of equality and diversity within the setting, and staff ensure that all children have equal access to the range of activities on offer. Staff take into account children's needs, strengths and wishes, when planning activities for children in the centre. The manager ensures that children learn about festivals and celebrations from a range of cultures and faiths. Self-evaluation is at the early stages of development, as the manager acknowledges. This means that, although most staff understand the broad strengths and weaknesses, the setting has not always identified areas for

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the early years provision

improvement or pressing issues that require action. The setting has established partnerships with the host school, and makes sound use of its facilities, for example two halls, a dining room, playground space and a classroom. The centre makes satisfactory use of external partnerships, when necessary, to promote children's learning and development. The setting is satisfactorily resourced, and generously staffed. There are a good range of multicultural resources which promote children's understanding of a range of faiths, customs and backgrounds well. The setting has established satisfactory engagement with parents and carers. A dedicated noticeboard informs parents and carers of developments within the setting, topics being covered, the complaints process and the statutory information. However, the public and dual-use of a single complaints and compliments book may put some parents and carers off This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

recording their honest views. The manager accepts this and has plans to improve this. Parents and carers are kept up to date informally about their child's progress. However, there is no formal reporting to parents and carers or teachers of children's progress in relation to the areas of learning. The setting does not regularly collect parent and carers' views through questionnaires or formal surveys, nor does it involve them in its self-evaluation processes. Nevertheless, most parents and carers are happy with the provision. As one stated, 'I am so happy with the way the staff take care of my son'.

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and outcomes for children

Most children achieve satisfactorily. Staff use information on children's interests and preferences when deciding which activities to plan and set up. Staff briefly describe the activities and experiences in their plans, and link these to the areas of learning. However, they rarely describe the intended learning outcomes of activities, and do not indicate how the activity will be adjusted to suit children with differing needs and abilities. Although staff evaluate the effectiveness of activities informally, there is no recorded evaluation which makes it difficult to judge the success and impact of activities on children's learning and development. Staff observe the children and make informal assessments, which then feed into journals for each child. However, the manager does not use assessment information to track the progress of children over time. Therefore it is difficult to establish whether children progress as well as they could. Nevertheless, adults

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and outcomes for children

have a sound understanding of the children's needs and backgrounds, and use this when working with children. Children have a satisfactory understanding of a healthy lifestyle. They are aware that certain foods are healthy and helpful to the body, whilst others are unhealthy and undesirable. They understand that some drinks are good for you and promote growth. However, children are not so aware that exercise and participation in active games and sports can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. The setting provides a daily 'snack time' for children, which they enjoy, and this time is used to chat socially with other children, many of whom are of different ages. This, coupled with children's good behaviour whilst at the setting, leads to children making a good, positive contribution to the life of the centre. However, the pace of the 'snack time' session is too slow, and some children become restless whilst waiting

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and outcomes for children

for snacks to become available. Children say they feel safe. Detailed risk assessment checks on a daily basis, and adequate safeguarding arrangements, contribute to their satisfactory sense of safety. Children say that the adults look after them well, they enjoy meeting and spending time with their friends, but feel that there could be a greater range of activities on offer. The manager is currently looking to reduce the number of worksheets that children complete, and to further broaden the range of practical activities on offer. Children's confidence, motivation and self-esteem develop satisfactorily during This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their time at the setting, for example when exploring dirt and water, using the free-play equipment and when taking part in outdoor games. Some activities engage children to think for themselves, for example when dressing up in the

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and outcomes for children

home corner, when experimenting with playdough, and taking part in simple mark- making activities. The setting's strong promotion of equality and diversity impacts well on children's understanding of different faiths, customs and festivals from around the world. For example, children recently learned about St Patrick's Day, and made lanterns and wrote their names in Chinese script to mark Chinese New Year. The setting is currently developing children's understanding of the Christian faith as part of an Easter topic, where the children make hand print bunnies. As a result of sound activities, provision and adult input, children are adequately prepared for the next stage of their education. 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 3 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 3 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 3

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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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