Barracudas (Huntingdon)

Barracudas Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 259646 Inspection date 04/04/2012 Inspector Veronica Sharpe

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Setting address Hinchingbrooke School, Brampton Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 3BN Telephone number 0845 1235299 Email info@barracudas.co.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

Barracudas is located at Hinchingbrooke School, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. The setting is one of a privately owned chain by Young World Leisure Group. There are currently 28 settings located across the south east of England.

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Description of the setting

The setting is open each weekday during Easter and for five weeks of the school summer holidays. Core opening times are from 8.30am to 5.30pm with optional early or late starts offered by prior arrangement. Facilities include a heated swimming pool, sports hall, gymnasium, outdoor tennis courts and sport fields. Children in the early years age range have a base room.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register to accept up to 220 children from three years to under eight years of age. The age range of children able to attend is from four to 16 years of age. For the period of the Easter playscheme, there are 134 children on roll, aged between four and 15 years, of these, 19 are within the early years age group. There are a small number of children on roll with English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs a camp manager and an early years manager, who are both supernumerary. Two suitably qualified early years coordinators are employed to work directly with the early years children. Further staff are employed dependent on the numbers of children on roll. The staff team have a mixture of qualifications, including qualified teachers, student teachers, early years specialists and some who have sport related qualifications.

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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

All aspects of children's safety are given high priority at this friendly and welcoming camp. Excellent communication systems ensure that parents and carers are fully informed about the provision. Children enjoy a broad range of enjoyable activities and make generally good progress in their learning and development. Staff and management show a high commitment to continuous improvement and have generally effective systems to monitor and evaluate the quality of the provision.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the planning of activities to further enhance children's opportunities to take an active part and readily access appropriate resources  maximise the effectiveness of self-evaluation by increasing the focus on the outcomes for early years children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are safeguarded extremely well in the setting because there are clear child protection policies and procedures. All staff receive child protection training, as part of a rigorous induction before each play scheme starts. Senior and returning staff members update their knowledge on a regular basis. The staff 'good practice' handbook is updated annually to ensure that everyone has current information about procedures. Staff are extremely conscientious and vigilant. They challenge strangers onsite and ensure that adults arriving to collect children are properly authorised. Children are instructed carefully, so that they know how to keep themselves safe, for example, they know they need to sit still at the side of the swimming pool until their swimming aids have been fitted and checked. Children are thoroughly supervised to ensure their safety as they move around the site. Robust recruitment procedures ensure that staff and other adults are safe and

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the early years provision

suitable to work with the children. Risk assessments take into account all aspects of safety, including activities and special requirements, such as allergies. Managers walk the site on a daily basis to ensure equipment, furniture and the building is safe and suitable.

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the early years provision

Clear signposting directs parents to the 'booking in' area, where children are shown to their base areas. Their consistent key staff are there to welcome them with friendly smiles. Parents appreciate that staff are clearly identified by their bright and practical uniforms. Younger children benefit from a broad range of easily accessible equipment, which they use during periods of rest and free play before, during and after the planned activity sessions. The environment is welcoming and friendly. Staff involve children in decisions about activities and routines, which promotes inclusion. Clear procedures would enable the setting to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Partnerships with other providers who care for the children are problematic, due to the short term nature of the provision. However, there are well-established partnerships with other agencies, such as, the local authority and the area's special educational

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are extremely effective. Communication systems in particular are excellent, ensuring that parents have ample opportunities to find out about the camp and share information. Clear and comprehensive information is gathered about children's welfare and learning needs on placement and this enables staff to get to know the children and provide well-targeted activities. Throughout a child's time at camp, staff collect observations on their interests and abilities and these are shared with parents at the end of each child's placement. Daily boards give parents lots of information about the day's activities and events. Feedback is collected from parents at the end of each camp to ensure both children and parents are satisfied. Results show that parents are extremely happy.

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the early years provision

The staff team is a mixture of qualified and experienced practitioners, students and sports specialists. Their diverse skills enable them to support children well and provide a safe and nurturing environment. Head office staff regularly attend the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 camps to ensure that they have a hands-on approach to management. This gives them a good understanding of the needs of children and staff. An effective programme of ongoing professional development enables staff to develop their skills, for example, they can take part in the multi-skills training programme. Self- evaluation is generally effective and enables managers to identify improvements that have a positive impact on children. For example, the recruitment process ensures that staff demonstrate their knowledge in practical ways. This ensures that they have the required skills to support children effectively. However, as yet it

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the early years provision

does not focus enough on evaluating the outcomes for early years children.

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and outcomes for children

Children show that they feel very safe and secure. They enjoy warm friendships with staff and each other. They play together happily and their behaviour is good. Staff support the children well in their activities and clearly know and understand their needs. This helps to ensure children feel valued and secure. Achievement is celebrated well, prompting children's confidence and self-esteem. Staff reward children with certificates and badges. They emphasise positive achievements well. For example, when children remember the right fencing position for 'En garde', staff take the time to tell them 'that was really good, well done'.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy the range of activities on offer and are encouraged to follow their own interests. Within the planned activities, they have opportunities to make their own choices, such as whether to play on the bouncy castle. Accessible resources are set out in base rooms, so that children have opportunities to draw, make models or make a den during regular times of quiet and relaxation. Staff based with the children show a good understanding of how children learn. They promote children's learning well, for example, by asking questions, which makes them think, such as, can bubbles be square or triangular? The organisation of activities is generally good, but in a few instances, staff and resources are not fully prepared, which hinders children's enjoyment. The camp promotes children's physical development particularly well in many enjoyable ways. Swimming is a daily treat and children look forward to it enormously. They play active games in the pool and

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and outcomes for children

enjoy interacting with staff, who swim with them to ensure their safety. Games, such as dodge-ball and uni-hoc extend their skills, enabling them to learn ball control in a fun environment. A dedicated dance studio is well used to help children learn to move to music.

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and outcomes for children

Activities are designed to support children of varying ages and abilities. For example, older children use larger quad bikes and younger children have electric go-karts more suited to their age and stage of development. Visual timetables and safety instructions ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those with English as an additional language feel included. Parents provide all their children's food, but children learn the value of healthy diets as they sample fruits from the fruit bar. Meals are taken in the school dining rooms, enabling children to gather together and socialise. Water is easily accessible throughout the site and staff are pro-active in reminding children of the benefits of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 drinking water frequently. 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 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 1 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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