Stars

Little Stars Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY438888 Inspection date 16/05/2012 Inspector Julie Morrison

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Setting address Lingfield Primary School, Buxton Avenue, Marton-in- Cleveland, MIDDLESBROUGH, Cleveland, TS7 8LP Telephone number 01642 319918 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.

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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

Little Stars is a privately owned setting and was registered in 2011. It operates from three rooms within Lingfield Primary School in Marton-in-Cleveland. There is access to an outdoor play area. The setting provides out-of-school care for children from the Lingfield Primary School. The club is open weekdays during school term times. Sessions are from 7.50am until 9am and 3.15pm until 5.45pm. The club is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. It is registered to provide care for no more than 30 children under eight years of age, of which none may be under two years old at any one time. The club currently has 67 children on roll, of these, four are in the early years age range. The club employs two members of childcare staff, including the manager. The manager holds a level 3 and the staff member holds a level 2 qualification. There were no children in the early years age range present at the

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The out of school club provides a relaxed environment for all children. However, procedures to ensure that the setting is secure are not in place. Although, resources are limited, the club does provide an adequate range of activities, which cover all areas of learning. The out of school club gathers most of the legally required information from parents, in order to begin to learn about children's individual needs and create an inclusive environment. However, systems to monitor and evaluate the setting are not effective. This does not support continuous improvement. The manager has a limited understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and as a result, some of the legal requirements are not being met.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 take steps to ensure that the premises are safe and secure and that intruders cannot enter the premises (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) (also applies to both parts of the Childcare Register) 16/05/2012

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further?

 conduct a risk assessment of all aspects of the environment, including the outside area, which need to be checked on a regular basis (Suitable premises, environment and equipment) (also applies to both 30/05/2012 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 parts of the Childcare Register)  develop a procedure to be followed in the event of a parent failing to collect a child and in the event of a child going missing and ensure that this is shared with parents (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare) 30/05/2012

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further?

 implement systems to gather information about who has legal contact with the child, and who has legal responsibility for the child (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 30/05/2012

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 plan and resource a challenging environment, which supports and extends all areas of children's learning, including raising their awareness of diversity develop procedures to promote self-evaluation and identify priorities for development to improve outcomes for children  develop planning and activities to take into account information gained from talking to children, other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and observations of the children's learning.

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the early years provision

Through discussion, the manager and staff at the out of school club demonstrates a suitable understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse, including procedures to follow, if they had a concern about a child. The manager conducts visual checks of the areas prior to children arriving. However, he has not completed effective risk assessments to show how potential risks have been minimised. For example, in relation to the outdoor area or the rear entrance to the club. This is a breach of the legal requirements and compromises children's safety as the setting is not secure from intruders. The club has some of the required policies in place, including a safeguarding policy. However, they do not have a lost or uncollected child policy in place, which means that this information is not provided for parents. This is a breach of the legal requirements and does not effectively safeguard children. Appropriate recruitment systems are in place. This

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the early years provision

means that all staff are appropriately qualified and have had all relevant checks to ensure their suitability to work with children.

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the early years provision

The out of school club gathers most of the legally required information about children to adequately meet their individual needs. However, they have not gathered information about who has legal responsibility for the child. This does not safeguard children. The manager discusses with parents at the start about how the club works and informs parents that policies are available if they would like to see them. Further information, such as their certificate of registration and public liability insurance is clearly displayed for parents to see. The club adequately keeps parents up-to-date about their child's time at the club through verbal feedback. The manager explains that he works closely with the school and nursery. He meets with them regularly to share general information about the children who attend This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 both settings. However, effective systems to share information about individual

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the early years provision

children's progression towards the early learning goals have not been established. This makes it difficult for the setting to plan activities based on children's individual needs.

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the early years provision

The manager describes how he and his staff are committed to attending further training to develop their practice. However, he has not implemented effective procedures to reflect on his practice to ensure continuous improvement. His understanding of the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage is limited and as a result, he has breached several of the legal requirements. Adequate use is made of the available space. The club is based in the library, which means that books and computer equipment are freely available for children to self-select from. However, generally, further resources are limited and are not stored effectively to encourage children to make independent choices about their learning and play.

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and outcomes for children

From discussion, the manager has a limited understanding of the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. He explains that he is the key worker for children in the early years age range. Although, he describes how children are supported well at the nursery and the school, he does not have any information about children's individual progress towards the early learning goals, in order to ensure continuity of learning. However, he does describe how children take part in a sufficient range of activities, which adequately cover all areas of learning. For example, he describes how communication skills are supported through discussions with the children and reading books. He explains that older children enjoy helping out with the younger ones and encourage them to join in their play or sit and read stories to them. He explains that children have access to crayons, pencils and paper to support their creative development. Access

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and outcomes for children

to computers helps to support children in developing their skills for the future. The manager explains that children's counting skills are supported through their play and everyday activities, such as counting how many cups they need and using the dice in board games. The manager explains that planned activities, such as making dragons to celebrate the Chinese New Year, helps children to begin to develop a sensitive awareness of diversity. However, resources and positive images to further support this are limited.

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and outcomes for children

The manager describes how children are beginning to learn about keeping safe, for example, through practising fire drills and visits from the local fire department. He explains that they are encouraged to adopt good hygiene practices, such as washing hands after using the toilet. The club provides a suitable range of healthy snacks for children, such as crackers and fruit. Children are also able to learn about keeping healthy through planned activities, such as making fruit smoothies. The manager describes how children have suitable opportunities to be physical, for example, playing outside on the nature trail or taking part in ball games. The manager has an adequate understanding of appropriate behaviour management techniques. This helps children to begin to learn right from wrong. Children are This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 happy and settled at the club and planned activities foster their sense of being kind

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and outcomes for children

and respecting one another. 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 4 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 4

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 4 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 3 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: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) 16/05/2012

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment). 30/05/2012

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment) 16/05/2012

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability and safety of premises and equipment). 30/05/2012

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