The Out of School Experience @ Osbaldeston

The Out of School Experience @ Osbaldeston Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY442196 Inspection date 13/06/2012 Inspector Angela Rowley

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Setting address St. Marys RC School, Longsight Road, Osbaldeston, BLACKBURN, BB2 7HX Telephone number 01254681339 Email outofschoolexp@yahoo.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

The Out of School Experience @ Osbaldeston is one of a group of settings operated by a limited company and was registered in January 2012 following a change of registered name. The provider has been operating this setting since September 2011. The out of school club operates from within St. Mary's RC Primary School, Osbaldeston, Lancashire. The setting serves the local schools within the area. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The setting opens Monday to Friday during school term times from 7.45am until 9am and again from 3.10pm until 6pm. A holiday club is available from 7.45am until 6pm.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 32 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently three children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The setting offers care to children aged over five years and is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. At present there are 25 children on roll in total.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs four designated members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold early years qualifications to degree level. The provider also holds Early Years Professional Status.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children are cared for in a very welcoming, child-centred provision where their individual contributions are highly valued and where they are making really good progress in their learning and development. Excellent organisational systems ensure that all policies and procedures to promote children's welfare are effectively implemented and facilitate the safe and efficient management of the provision. Partnerships with parents are used very effectively in planning, both to meet individual children's needs and to continually drive the provision forward. Mostly successful partnership working with the host school and others provides continuity for children. Self-evaluation is very well informed and staff's outstanding enthusiasm to develop new ways of working, results in a setting with an excellent capacity for continual improvement.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 strengthening further the links with other practitioners to ensure continuity and coherence in provision to support children's individual key learning priorities. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The manager has an excellent knowledge of issues around child protection and of procedures to follow in the event of concerns, including any allegations made against practitioners. The expert knowledge of the provider ensures comprehensive policies and procedures are in place to ensure the very safe management of the setting. The arrangements for maintaining a safe environment include meaningful risk assessments. The premises are very secure and staff follow rigorously planned procedures for the collection and drop off of children from within the host school and from another local school site. Consistent and very supportive staff provide real stability for the children. Robust vetting systems ensure their suitability. Rigorous induction and appraisal is carried out to audit staff skills and identify training needs. Procedures to promote children's health are very thorough. Most practitioners hold a current first aid certificate and are trained in

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the early years provision

administering specifically required medications. All required records regarding accidents, medication and health needs are securely in place. The setting makes the most of both the large outdoor play space and the hall to provide continual opportunities for children to access fresh air and physical exercise.

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the early years provision

Very well-organised resources support children's achievement and their enjoyment. The hall is set out prior to children's arrival, with other resources accessible for children's self-selection. As a result, children enter to a vibrant and inviting play space. Every child is welcomed into the setting. Their individual needs are identified and met because staff gather a wealth of information from parents at the start of the placement. Parents are provided with superb information about their child and what the provision is doing to promote their child's progress. The setting also works extremely well with parents by including them in the continual evaluation of the setting and its provision. The club is developing strong links with the school it serves. Communication with teaching staff has been quickly established to ensure there is continuity between school and club. This ensures that children are well cared for, messages are triangulated and some priorities for

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the early years provision

individual children's learning are beginning to be shared.

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the early years provision

Self-evaluation is very effectively informed through the contributions of parents, and children. Staff are reflective and securely evidence what works well and what could be improved. They are highly motivated and are committed to further professional development. Two practitioners have recently achieved relevant degree level qualifications and they continually look for new ideas and ways of working. Consequently, they drive improvements successfully and targeted plans for development are well prioritised. The provider has long-term experience of operating a number of out of school provisions. As a result, has used this knowledge to continually enhance the provision and promote outstanding outcomes 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

Exceptionally well-organised routines give children an obvious sense of security and staff are calm, caring and consistent in their approach. They have high expectations of children's behaviour, which is impressive. Children are enabled to make a real contribution to organising provision and devising their own play activities, which results in a very child-centred provision. Consequently, children engage very positively and enjoy their time there. The focus on systems to improve children's involvement in organising the provision has been significant. All children take part in committee meetings; add their snack ideas to the weekly shopping list or their activity ideas to the weekly planning. They contribute to establishing club rules and have displayed them prominently. They take part in activities focussing on 'friendship' and as a result, they play for sustained periods in established friendship groups. They collaborate in making celebration cards and

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and outcomes for children

jubilee crowns, sharing their design ideas. Older children thrive on the responsibility they take when supporting younger children to make their own sandwiches for snack and to select and pour their own drinks. This active thinking and positive contribution has been achieved because adults listen attentively to and act on children's ideas. They continually observe, talk to and involve them in decisions about the club and the activities on offer.

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and outcomes for children

Children comment how much they enjoy coming to the setting. They demonstrate how safe they feel as they move around independently and approach staff freely. They relax easily on the camp bed or in the cosy area where they read or chat sociably with staff and their friends. Staff support children's learning continually through their self-chosen activities; for example, when attempting jigsaw making or card design. This also gives an opportunity to extend children's problem solving and their literacy skills. They observe closely and link exceptionally well with parents to identify what children can do and what their interests are. They have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The effective key person system ensures planning is clearly linked to children's interests and development stage. Staff are sometimes provided with valuable information from teaching staff which forms a focus for continued learning though play. However,

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and outcomes for children

this has not yet been able to be routinely obtained for every child so that keyworkers can plan for particular learning objectives. This would be likely to help individual children progress even further. Practitioners have excellent relationships with children who benefit from their relaxed and fun approach, making learning enjoyable for all. All areas of learning are promoted very effectively through the exceptionally well enhanced continuous play provision. This provides children with a wide variety of interesting and relevant activities and experiences.

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and outcomes for children

Children's understanding of the wider world and of difference and diversity is routinely enhanced through learning about different cultures and taking part in celebrating festivals. Staff plan opportunities to explore a 'country of the month' and provide meaningful activities to help children understand different ways of life. For example, they look at henna design, food tasting and have a trip to a Mexican restaurant. In school holidays, children from different clubs in different areas belonging to the same provider join together. This helps to develop community This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 cohesion. Children's awareness of safety on outings is expertly promoted. They take a full and active part in the risk assessment process and of recording it. They wear high visibility vests at all times. Children are so well practised at assessing risk that they autonomously put out the room divider cones when they play swing

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and outcomes for children

ball to indicate where it may not be safe for others to access. They consider, for example, that when planning water fights in hot weather, that they will need to apply sunscreen some time beforehand. Excellent opportunities are provided to help children learn about healthy lifestyles. They plan and prepare their own snacks, independently remembering to first wash their hands. They pour their own milk or water, developing their physical skills and independence. They make their own sandwiches and select their own fillings. Through involvement in regular emergency drills and, for example, topics on first aid children learn about the recovery position and what to do in an emergency. Overall, children play and learn in an environment that develops excellent attitudes to learning. 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 1 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 1

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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 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 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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