Paulsgrove Primary School

Springwell Before/After School Club Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 116257 Inspection date 23/05/2012 Inspector Sangeeta Gardiner

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Setting address Springwell Infant School, Speart Lane, Heston, Middlesex, TW5 9EF Telephone number 07956 407 546 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. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

Springwell Before and After School Club is run by a management committee and registered in 1990. It operates from the main hall in Springwell Nursery and Infant School with the occasional use of a classroom for part of the session. Children also have access to the school playground for outdoor play. The club is open each weekday during school terms from 8am to 9am and from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 26 children aged from four to eight years may attend the club at any one time. Children over the age of eight years also attend. There are currently 43 children on roll, of whom 12 are in the early years age group. The club employs six members of staff. Of these, three hold qualifications at level 3, one holds a qualification a level 2 and two are working towards a qualification at level 2, all in early years.

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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

Children are happy and enjoy warm relationships with staff, although there is a lack of focus on encouraging them to develop skills for independence. Good safeguarding policies and procedures are in place, which help children to feel safe. However, the provision of food and drink is not always of a high standard. There is a sufficient, though not broad, range of activities to help children make some progress in their learning and development. Suitable partnerships with parents, and good partnerships with the on-site school, help staff to meet children's individual needs to a satisfactory standard. Self-evaluation procedures are adequate and contribute towards some continuous improvement but are not particularly robust or challenging.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve the provision of healthy snacks and the availability of drinks, helping children to understand the importance of these  develop activities and resources to provide a rich and varied environment to further support children's learning and development  improve self-evaluation processes to effectively identify the club's strengths and priorities for development in order to improve the quality of provision for all children  encourage children to be responsible for some tasks, such as helping during snack time, in order to develop skills for independence. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff demonstrate a good awareness of safeguarding children procedures and of the club's policies. Rigorous background checks effectively assess the suitability of all adults who work with children. Well-considered daily risk assessments, which staff carry out before children arrive, help to ensure that all equipment is in place and safe. The premises is secure and the ratio of staff to children is good, contributing effectively to children's safety. Children participate in regular fire drills, which help them to develop a good understanding of safe evacuation procedures.

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the early years provision

Staff receive appropriate support and encouragement from the committee to attend training, such as safeguarding and first aid, and to gain early years qualifications. They have helpful visits from the local advisory teacher who provides them with targets to work towards. Parents are able to contribute their views through questionnaires and a comments book. The club has a basic self- evaluation process in place, but does not clearly identify and prioritise areas for improvement. As a result, staff are not always aware of areas of weakness and therefore do not always improve outcomes for children effectively.

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the early years provision

Staff supervise children well to enable them to move freely between the playground and indoors. As a result, children are able to make choices about their play. Staff spend most of their time with the children, talking and listening to them, although their organisation of some activities has a negative impact on this. Children have access to an adequate range of toys and equipment, although there are few resources to encourage a sense of curiosity about the world around them.

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the early years provision

The club adequately promotes inclusive practice and staff include all children in the activities available. Staff develop positive relationships with children and help them to feel secure. Parents are generally happy with the service and are pleased that their children enjoy their time at the club. They receive up to date information about the activities that their children are involved in and the care they receive. A parents' notice board gives information about the club and parents can attend committee meetings to share their views. Some parents state that the club has a well-established and experienced staff, that staff know their children well and that this is reassuring. Other parents comment that they would prefer more information about their children's time in the club. Staff have positive relationships with teaching staff in the school and ensure that communication takes place each day to support continuity of children's learning and care effectively.

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled and happy in their environment as they enjoy warm and caring relationships with staff and their friends. They enter the setting confidently and show that they feel safe as they follow the daily routines. They have a sound understanding of the ground rules that are in place, which they help to write. As a This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 result, they know and understand the expectations of the staff and the consequences of their actions. Although children are making good progress in some aspects of their social development, staff do not always encourage them to develop skills for independence. For example, during snack time, children sometimes wait for long periods and staff serve food for them, rather than encouraging children to do this for themselves.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Staff clearly remind them how to stay safe while playing outdoors and that they must not leave the hall without telling a member of staff. Children show good awareness of effective safety procedures, such as taking part in regular fire evacuations and carefully listening to instructions to keep away from the hot tea trolley.

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and outcomes for children

Children show a good understanding of personal hygiene routines, such as hand washing before having tea. All children thoroughly enjoy playing outside in the school grounds. They enjoy the fresh air and they challenge their physical skills by playing football or taking part in skipping games. However, the food available at snack time is not always of a good nutritional value. In addition, staff do not always encourage children to access drinking water during outdoor play or help them understand the importance of this.

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and outcomes for children

A small selection of activities is available for children to play with at each session and they can request additional resources from the storage cupboard in the room. Children move around freely, choosing to play quietly on their own or with friends. They use language appropriately to communicate, initiate conversations and organise their play. They use their imaginations as they pretend to be shopkeepers and customers. They concentrate well as they participate in drawing activities and playing games. Staff support their learning and development adequately. Through discussion, staff demonstrate a reasonable knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. Staff observe and make some notes about what children can do. They build on children's interests, such as providing resources, which they know individual children enjoy. However, the range of resources is not broad enough to encourage children to extend their learning effectively in some

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and outcomes for children

areas, such as their knowledge of the world around them. This weakness has some limitations in enabling children to further develop the skills they need for the future. 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 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 The extent to which children feel safe 2 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: 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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