Little Pixies Before and After School Club

Little Pixies Club St Mary & St John School, Gravelly Hill North, Erdlington, Birmingham, B23 6BQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/12/2012 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 Children enter happily into the setting, know the routine well and confidently initiate their own play choices.  The staff team work well together and make warm relationships with the children.  Younger children are helped to settle in the club through the effective use of a key person to ensure their needs are met.  Children's behaviour is good. Children of different ages mix well together and the older ones help support the younger ones.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities to fully support children's progress through links with parents and the school are not maximised.  The use of self-reflection to identify the setting's strengths and areas for development is not yet fully embedded.  The use of supervision and appraisal to support staff development is in its infancy.

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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 a variety of play activities inside, an outdoor play session and children's tea-time.  The inspector spoke with the manager, the early years key person and other staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records and development folders, planning documentation and a selection of policies and daily records.  The inspector took account of the views of four parents spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

Little Pixies Club was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The club is owned by The Partnership of Little Pixies Club and is a re-registration of Little Pixies Club which was registered in 2004. It operates from St Mary and St John's Junior and Infant School which is located in the Erdington area of Birmingham. The club operates from the school hall, an additional room and associated facilities and uses the school's outdoor play area. All children attend St Mary and St John's Junior and Infant School.

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Information about the setting

The club opens from 7.30am to 9am and from 3.10pm to 6pm each weekday during school term-time. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 52 children aged from four to 11 years on roll of whom seven are in the early years age group. There are seven members of staff who work with the children and all but two hold an appropriate early years qualification and one of the remaining two has a level 6 qualification.

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

 develop further links with parents and others who provide care to children so information is shared to help support children's progress

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

 develop further ways of reflecting on practice, such as through supervision and appraisal, to identify strengths and weaknesses and to set challenging targets for improvement.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of how to provide children of different ages with a range of resources and activities to support them as they relax after school. They are currently updating their knowledge in relation to the new framework and offer a good balance of child-led play and adult support and interaction. Children happily enter their club and engage in activities of their choice or chat with friends. Staff set up the rooms with a selection of resources to meet different areas of learning and support children's varying interests. Children are able to make further choices from the well-stocked cupboard. Children confidently talk with friends and the staff and freely select from a range of books which they read together and listen as staff read. They regularly have a circle time where children are encouraged to share their views and ideas, growing in confidence as they make their contributions. Younger children play a full part in all that goes on at the club.

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who attend

There is usually a planned adult-led activity supporting children's creativity and imagination as they, for example, cut out shapes to make Christmas decorations which they decorate with glitter and colour and then proudly display on the tree. Children construct and build with a range of bricks, play with small world figures in the doll's house and dress up in different role play costumes. Board games where they count the spaces, take turns and work out how much it costs to buy and sell property are very popular. Children try and match lines of the same colour pieces before their companion and thoroughly enjoy the regular bingo session. Outside they add up the numbers on the parachute as they try and roll the ball into the highest hole. All such activities support children's growing mathematical skills but in a fun way so that children do not really realise how they are learning.

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who attend

Staff welcome children into the club and enable them to participate in different activities of their choice. Some are confident to make their own play, for example as they enjoy a game on the computer. For others, staff are there to engage with them in their play when appropriate and use little prompts and questions to extend their ideas. Children are relaxed as they talk with staff and their friends, happily sharing stories about school and home. Staff liaise before each session to decide what resources to set out and what adult- led activities to provide, guided by children's interests and particular celebrations. There is a general weekly plan to ensure a range of resources are set out both outside and inside. Staff observe all children to ensure they are happy and settled and for the younger children the key person does observe and record them at play to monitor their activities and ensure that no extra support is needed. However, Links with parents and school

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who attend

teachers are not yet fully utilised to provide additional information about their overall development. In order to help staff get to know the younger children they are encouraged to complete their own 'all about me' form about their likes and dislikes where they draw pictures of themselves and practise their early writing skills. The key person uses these to check their progress according to the milestones. Any action needed to help individual children is discussed informally as staff meet before each session.

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

Children are happy and settled in this club where they know staff well, respond to the routines and confidently initiate their own play choices with friends or engage with staff in more adult-led activities. Staff have created a relaxed and welcoming area with displays of children's work and photographs. They understand the importance of the prime areas in developing young children's confidence so they happily settle at school and make the transition to the club. Therefore, they effectively use a key person to oversee their needs and support their development. Children's behaviour is good and they play well together, with older ones assisting the younger ones and engaging them in their play. As they arrive at the club children spontaneously follow the routine and settle down to await their tea, happily chatting with each other. They learn to take turns as they wait patiently to go on the computer or enjoy different board games. They develop their confidence as they help

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

out in simple tasks like taking plates to the hatch after eating and all naturally help to tidy away the toys and sweep the floor as they transfer to the smaller room for the last hour of the session. Children enjoy the social time around the tea table where they have a choice of drinks and a menu of different hot snacks and fresh fruit. They take part in activities to make crispy cakes and ice biscuits or create smoothies with different fruits.

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

Children's health is well supported through attention to daily routines and self-care skills. If a child feels unwell they are attentively responded to and reassured. Children are learning to play safely by regular reminders from staff, and respond well to clear guidelines as they walk from school to the club or use tools like the scissors. Children move confidently around the hall and seek out spaces to pursue their interests, such as the corner for the play station. Staff recognise the importance of physical play and exercise in supporting children's health and offer regular outdoor play where children engage in games of football, balance on the blocks, skip or hold on to the parachute and try and manoeuvre the disc into the right hole. Disco nights are very popular where children join together to dance and sing to popular music.

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provision

The staff team works well together and are committed to providing a safe and happy environment for children where they can relax after a day at school. Most of the staff are qualified and many also work in the school which means they are familiar with the overall organisation and often known to the children. Management have drawn up clear procedures for recruitment, selection and induction to ensure the suitability of all those working with the children and appropriately record any necessary checks. Staff engage well with children and use opportunities throughout the session to extend their interest and learning naturally through play. They have an informal discussion before each session to plan the programme, share any important information and identify any areas for improvement. For example, although most staff hold a current first aid certificate the group have recognised the need to include more staff in this training so they are able to

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provision

manage the busy school collection service more effectively. Staff informally reflect on their practice and have attended a range of training to keep their knowledge and practice up- to-date. However, they do not routinely look at self-evaluation as a way of identifying their strengths and weaknesses which means some areas for development are not identified. However, they have started implementing an appraisal system for staff by asking them to complete a self-assessment form which will be discussed at their future individual meetings and used to identify any training needs.

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provision

Partnership with parents works well and parents comment on the positive support and approachability of all staff. The identification of a key person for the younger children ensures that they are supported as they settle in and soon feel comfortable in their new surroundings. Information such as important policies and staff qualifications are displayed around and all necessary information about the child is shared from the start. Parents are kept informed of children's daily progress through regular feedback from staff, photographic displays and work taken home. Many of the staff also work in the school so know the teachers well and pass on messages to parents when they collect children from the club. However, staff miss some opportunities to effectively seek information from parents about children at home or to engage with teachers about their progress and the educational programme in the classroom which means children's development is not fully

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provision

Children are well safeguarded as staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from possible harm or neglect and how to pass on any concerns effectively. Most staff have attended external training to enhance their awareness in this area, with two senior staff having completed the advanced training course. Other procedures to further protect children, such as the maintenance of daily records and seeking all necessary details from parents at registration such as who can collect children and information about parental responsibility are thoroughly carried out. Children's well-being is well promoted as staff maintain good standards of health and safety both indoors and outdoors and use visual and written checks to support this.

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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 EY447806 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 804861

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 52 Name of provider The Partnership of Little Pixies Club Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01213848479

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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. 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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