Barracudas (Ripley)

Barracudas Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY407224 Inspection date 13/04/2012 Inspector Debbie Newbury

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Setting address Ripley Court School, Rose Lane, Ripley, WOKING, Surrey, GU23 6NE Telephone number 01480 497533 Email sarah@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, Ripley is one of 27 holiday camps run by Young World Leisure Group Limited. It registered in 2010 and operates from the campus of Ripley Court School in Woking, Surrey. Children have access to several classrooms and specialist activity rooms, a dining hall, sports hall, swimming pool and theatre. They also make use of the school playing fields and tennis courts. The camp serves the local and wider communities.

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Description of the setting

The camp is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 140 children up to eight years of age may attend the camp at any one time; of these, 60 children may be in the early years age group. The camp also offers care to children aged eight to sixteen years. It operates Monday to Friday during the Easter and summer school holiday periods. Opening hours are from 8am to 6pm. The number of children on roll varies. On the day of the inspection there were 86 children present, of which 11 were in the early years age group.

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Description of the setting

The camp welcomes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who have English as an additional language. The camp employs 21 members of staff. Of these four hold teaching qualifications and five are working towards a teaching qualification. Lifeguards and specialist sports instructors are also employed.

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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

Barracudas offers children a stimulating and enjoyable experience where they have fun in a predominantly enabling environment. Staff strive to meet children's individual welfare and learning needs and are mostly successful in this. Most aspects of safety receive careful consideration. Barracudas is strongly committed and demonstrates effective capacity to continually improving the quality of its provision and outcomes for children. Arrangements to bring this about are a key strength.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve arrangements for monitoring the safety of hot appliances  extend the range of resources offered, with particular reference to the provision of books and items to support knowledge and understanding of the world to help children discover connections and come to new and better This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understandings and ways of doing things.

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the early years provision

Staff have a secure understanding of safeguarding issues and the action they must take if they have any concerns. They supervise children carefully in every activity they do and as they move around the school environment. The company implements robust recruitment and vetting procedures and all staff undergo an annual induction. Records of risk assessment and site checks are, mostly, comprehensive. These include specific activities and the different equipment children use. However, the record of risk assessment for children's base room (Minnows) does not include reference to heating appliances. On the day of the inspection, an accessible heater had been switched on and the temperature was not monitored. It was very hot to touch and, thus, posed a potential risk to children. Comprehensive policies and procedures underpin the efficient organisation of the service. Staff make effective use of the premises. They work

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the early years provision

together as a cohesive team and there is a good team spirit evident. A variety of resources to support the different activities is provided. However, the range of items available to children in their base room is rather limited. This reduces scope for exploration and does not maximise learning opportunities. All children are valued and included. Staff constantly check that children feel alright. They adapt activities so children can take part at their own level. For instance, children find it difficult to manage with bats and balls during a game of rounders, so a football is substituted instead. Themed days and drama and dance activities relate to different cultures. However, there are few resources that reflect positive images of social diversity to further aid children's awareness of similarity and difference. Parents are well informed about the camp and the service provided. This is provided both in the form of detailed, corporate information from the company and

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the early years provision

further information which is personal to Barracudas, Ripley. For instance, staff display whiteboards detailing the different activities children have taken part in and who are the 'stars of the day.' Parents are asked to complete an 'All about me/Look what I can do' booklet about their child before they attend the camp. This helps staff get to know them and learn about their capabilities and interests. Parents are positive in their praise of the camp. The nature of the provision and the style of children's attendance means that it is difficult to establish direct links with schools. However, the importance of an exchange of information is well recognised and good consideration has been given to how this can be best achieved. Self-evaluation and reflective practice forms an integral part of the effective drive for improvement. The views of parents, staff and children are sought, with the information gathered used to inform future practice. Questionnaires for children

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the early years provision

are differentiated. For example, those for younger children are presented in both words and pictures which means that no-one is excluded. Areas targeted for further development are realistic and are likely to bring about further improvements for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children have a lot of fun and enjoy themselves. The whole camp rings with sounds of laughter and excited voices. The daily timetable offers children appealing, well-planned activities and experiences, some of which they may not have encountered before. There is always a choice available which enables children to follow their own interests. Staff carefully explain what each activity entails, so children make an informed decision about what they do. Children enjoy arts and crafts, dance and role play. There are many opportunities to be physically active as part of a healthy lifestyle. Children swim and play tennis and rounders. They climb and balance on the adventure playground. Staff teach children the importance of warm-up and cool-down sessions. They skilfully weave mathematical concepts and literacy into activities. This happens in a natural way and supports continued learning of future skills. For example, children are challenged to see how

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and outcomes for children

many steps they take from the field to the sports hall. They record their thoughts as to what they would do if they could do magic. Children's artwork and writing is displayed in their base room. This adds to their sense of belonging and places value on their efforts. However, the range of resources in the base room, which children use during 'explore and play' sessions, is limited. For instance, there are few books and little to enable children to explore knowledge and understanding of the world. Children's personal, social and emotional skills are well fostered. They enjoy one another's company and work together, for example, to choreograph dance routines. They are helped to understand the importance of compromise as staff explain what this means in simple terms. Children, therefore, gain understanding of the importance of taking account of, and having respect for, the views of others. Staff record pertinent observations on children, which are added

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and outcomes for children

to each child's record booklet. These form a useful tool in monitoring children's achievements and progress. The information gathered is shared with parents. Staff are good role models and develop warm, friendly relationships with children, ensuring they feel secure and well cared for. Children behave well and respond positively to the clear expectations set out. They receive lots of praise and encouragement, which successfully fosters self-esteem. Staff are genuinely pleased about children's achievements. Children talk confidently about safety matters. They know what to do if there is a fire; they explain about not running in the vicinity of the swimming pool. Staff offer help as children play on the adventure playground, while encouraging them to work out the best way to access different aspects. This approach helps children to think about and solve problems for themselves. Children effectively adopt healthy

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and outcomes for children

habits, such as washing before eating. Water is readily available so they can easily help themselves to drinks. Recording 'what fruit we have eaten today' on a chart a popular task and offers a simple, effective way of thinking about eating healthily. Children bring packed lunches and snacks from home. Parents receive information before the camp starts about healthy eating. Children also buy fruit in the camp 'fruit shop' at lunchtimes. 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 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 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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