Funzone Out Of School Club

Funzone Letchworth Garden City Community Project, Mrs Howard Memorial Hall, Norton Way South, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 1NX

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/10/2012 05/07/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 The key persons are knowledgeable, build positive relationships with their key children and accurately assess how to promote learning and development.  Children settle easily, are happy and confident. They form good relationships with others attending because extensive activities are completed that encourage children to consider the feelings of others around them.  Staff offer an inclusive and welcoming service for all children. They work closely with parents and other agencies to ensure that all children are included and their needs are met.  Management carry out regular performance monitoring and make sure that each practitioner has an individual training and professional development plan that motivates them and improves their practice.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Continuity of learning and development is not fully supported because there is limited communication and sharing of information between the club and other settings delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Children are not provided with a diet that consistently offers a broad range of healthy food and therefore fail to understand the importance of a nutritious diet.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the premises and the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a selection of policies, procedures and documentation displayed on the notice boards.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the owner and nominated person.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke with the owner, manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Funzone was registered in 2006. It operates from a community hall in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. The provision is owned and managed by a private organisation. The provision serves the local and wider area and serves all schools in Letchworth.

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Information about the setting

The provision is accessible to all children. There is an area available for outdoor play. The provision opens Monday to Friday during school term times from 7.45am to 9am, and from 3pm to 6pm. During school holidays the provision operates from Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions.

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Information about the setting

The provision is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The provision offers 40 places to children under eight years, all of whom may be in the early years age group. The provision does not offer care for children under three years of age. There are currently 90 children on roll.

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Information about the setting

The provision supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The provision employs nine members of childcare staff including managerial staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 improve communication with other settings delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure that there are regular opportunities to share information about children's learning and development to support continuity in their learning

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 encourage children to eat a healthy range of foodstuffs and understand the need for variety in food by broadening the menu offered ensuring that all major food groups are included.

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who attend

Children show enthusiasm for play and a keenness to attend the out of school club. Members of staff working directly with the younger children successfully monitor children's interests and recognise what they can do to enhance their learning and all-round development. For example, they involve children in group games to enhance their confidence and support self-esteem. They also involve children within small groups to promote their language skills and confidence in speaking within larger groups. Planning of activities, and staff skills in teaching, ensure that children are provided with a broad range of play opportunities. This helps them to continue making good progress across all areas of learning and development. Staff adopt appropriate strategies to support children with specific needs, such as ensuring that they are face-to-face with children with a hearing impairment to support communication. They monitor all activities to ensure that children

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who attend

have equal chances to participate. For example, specific programmes are purchased for electronic activity systems to ensure that no one group of children monopolises the area. This ensures that all children are included.

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who attend

Children communicate well and express their needs and ideas clearly through play. For example, children develop their own books in which they design clothes together. They write with confidence using a wide range of resources available to them to increase their skills. Children work collaboratively together for long periods to produce and present a finished product. For instance, they decide to produce comics. They spend a long time discussing the elements they will include, how they will be made, who will take which role, and what to do with them when completed. When finished they proudly present them to the group, the staff and to parents. Children are keen to explore creative media such as paint and collage. Themes offered to them, such as the Wild West, involve them in making and planting cacti, and working on beaded Geckos. They develop their imagination by creating fairy tales together and taking part in story-telling sessions to each other. Staff

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who attend

offer scope to the children to continue developing creativity by offering new materials to them to work with. For instance, they enjoy glass painting and graffiti arts.

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who attend

Children's physical development is supported well because the staff emphasise the importance of outdoor play. They work together to play badminton, and enjoy team games such as 'bulldog'. Children gain an understanding of rules and boundaries, and recognise how to win and lose gracefully. Construction toys are very popular with different types of construction resources available to cater for children of different ages and abilities. Consequently, all children are included. Overall, the play facilities allow children to use and complement the skills and knowledge that they have already acquired. Furthermore, some inventive activities and exciting resources encourage them to continue exploring new skills.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children show an interest in the activities available and relate very well to their peers and staff. Staff spend time talking to, and playing with, children and support their interaction. Key persons gather useful information about their key children and make observations on them in order to plan for their next steps and promote learning. Key persons are generally the staff members who collect children from school. They chat with them on the journey to the club to gauge how their day has been. Consequently, staff show a good awareness of the types of activities to offer to children at the end of the day.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children behave well at the club demonstrating an understanding of the agreed boundaries and expectations within the provision. This is enhanced by regular project works together that focus strongly on personal, social and emotional development, and the needs of others. For example, displays show works developed by children entitled 'I have the right to...' This helps them to become aware of their own rights and feelings. In addition, extensive works have been completed on anti-bullying whereby children become aware of the effect of their behaviour on others and develop good social behaviours.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children's health is supported by regular exercise and fresh air. They independently meet their own basic personal hygiene needs and wash their hands when arriving at the club before eating without needing to be prompted. Children clear their plates and cups away after tea and occasionally some children will help to prepare foods for the group. They enjoy fruits and vegetables with snack and children's special dietary needs are met appropriately. However, the two-week menu for tea is limited and does not provide a broad range of nutritious foods. Children receive a meal that focusses heavily on wheat- based products and does not demonstrate to them the importance of eating a healthy range of foodstuffs to support good health.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children learn to keep themselves safe through practical daily routines and staff guidance. Children show a strong understanding of the importance of emergency evacuation. For example, when the whistle is blown they immediately walk quietly to line up at the door ready to leave. Staff clearly emphasise to children the importance of responding to such routines which means that children know how to keep themselves safe.

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provision

Systems for monitoring and evaluating practice are robust. Regular staff meetings and appraisals are used to review all areas of practice and to identify training and development programmes for staff. A staff handbook is provided to new staff. Induction, followed by close supervision for those staff, ensures that the high quality of care provided for children can continue throughout such change. In-house training, in addition to external training courses, further develops staff knowledge and skill. Policies and procedures are effective in maintaining clear partnerships with parents and protecting children.

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provision

Staff have a robust understanding of safeguarding children. They receive regular training on safeguarding and are aware of their responsibility to report any concerns to the Local Safeguarding Children's Board. Procedures are implemented in the event of any concern about a child's well-being and there is effective partnership working with external agencies in conjunction with this where needed. Children are well-supervised as they arrive at the club after school and when playing outdoors. Staff are vigilant in ensuring that no person may approach, or have access to, children in their care at any time. Consequently, children are safe. The security of the premises is well maintained. Detailed risk assessments confirm that staff carry out regular safety checks around the premises to eliminate hazards.

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provision

The owner and manager are motivated to enhance practice through collating the views of staff, children and parents in order to identify areas for further improvement. The active involvement of parents is encouraged through newsletters and by ensuring that parents are aware of the improvements planned, and the positive impact these will have for children attending. For example, the club aim to obtain a mini bus to enhance the collection of children from different schools to improve safety. This will allow the same key person to collect consistently from the same schools, and will foster the relationship between themselves and the schools.

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provision

The club has formed positive relationships with parents who are complimentary about the service provided. Parents comment that, having looked at many other clubs, they found that Funzone is, 'safe, fun, and provides children with many activities'. Furthermore, they would, 'recommend the club to other parents and think that it is excellent for school collections'. There is a clear daily exchange of information to parents supported by the written information provided. There are less well-established arrangements to share information with class teachers at the different schools that children attend. This means that key persons do not have a full picture of what children have already achieved in their learning and development and cannot fully support continuity of learning whilst at the club.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY344365 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 820785

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 90 Name of provider Funzone Date of previous inspection 05/07/2010 Telephone number 07870 168308

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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