Happy Hours @ Penkhull

Happy Hours @ Penkhull Greatbatch Avenue, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST4 7JY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 28/01/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Staff are friendly and supportive, which enables children to form positive relationships with them.  Children are kept safe on the premises because staff provide close supervision and safely escort children to and from school.  Staff set clear boundaries and help children to understand expectations regarding behaviour. Consequently, children are polite and well-behaved.

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It is not yet good because

 Staff are not making best use of available space, and the variety of activities and resources are not broad enough to fully support children's individual needs and interests.  Children have few opportunities to engage in energetic play indoors and learn about the benefits of regular exercise, which impacts on their physical development.  Self-evaluation lacks rigour and there are gaps in developing effective partnerships with the children's teachers, in order to fully support their learning and progress in the club.

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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 watched staff collect children from school and observed activities in the dining hall.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked to children, staff and held discussions with the manager and the owner of the club.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of policies and records, including evidence of staff suitability and qualifications.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of inspection.

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Information about the setting

Happy Hours at Penkhull was registered in 2012 following a change in premises. The club is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in The Willows Primary School in Penkhull, Stoke-on- Trent, and is one of four settings managed by a partnership. The club serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the school dining hall and children have use of the school grounds for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The club employs three members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 2 and two hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3.

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Information about the setting

The club opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 9am and 2.45pm until 6pm during term time, and from 7.30am until 6pm during school holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently four children attending who are in the early years age group.

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must:

 improve the planning and organisation of space, resources and activities, to ensure children participate in more challenging and enjoyable experiences that meet their individual needs and interests  improve the educational programme for physical development by: increasing opportunities for children to be active and energetic indoors; organising lively games; helping children to understand the benefits of regular exercise on their health and well-being.

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

 develop partnerships with the children's teachers, in order to share information about children's individual learning needs and to help plan activities that complement their learning in school

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

 develop thorough self-evaluation and include the views of parents, in order to clearly identify strengths and areas for development.

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who attend

Practice is generally sound because staff know the children and play alongside them, offering appropriate support and motivating them to get involved in activities. They encourage children to pursue their own interests and support their communication skills by talking to them about their school day. Staff are starting to note observations of the children and plan some activities that children enjoy. They set out a selection of activities and resources for children to play with, but the range on offer is limited and does not consistently provide enough challenge to support the individual needs and interests of all children. Consequently, activities sometimes lack sufficient challenge, particularly for older children.

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who attend

Younger children are more active learners, as they enjoy playing 'hangman', which positively promotes their language skills and knowledge of letters and sounds. They concentrate well when they draw, stick and glue to create their own seaside picture and competently label their own work. Some children proudly share little books they have made, which contain their own imaginative story. This shows their creativity and supports their early literacy skills. Children show interest, as they build their own models using construction sets and demonstrate their understanding of number, for instance, when they play card games.

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who attend

Staff gather relevant information from parents on entry, which enables them to get to know the children and helps to support a smooth transition into the club. Relationships between staff and parents are friendly and they informally exchange day-to-day information about the children. Children indicate that they really enjoy playing outside and some parents comment that the 'DVD night' is very popular.

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

The premises are clean, safe and secure. Staff safely escort children to and from their classrooms; reminding them to wear their high visibility jackets and encouraging them to walk together in two's. This ensures their safety when they move around the building. Relationships between staff and children are friendly and supportive. Younger children instinctively offer hugs to staff, which shows they feel close to them. As a result, children are confident to express their views, for instance, making suggestions about trying different foods for their snack.

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

The club operates from the school dining hall, where space is dominated by tables and chairs. Consequently, the area is not very welcoming or inviting for children and does not help them to develop a sense of ownership of their club. Children's play is mostly restricted to table-top activities; with limited space for free movement. Therefore, when children cannot play outside due to bad weather, they have limited opportunity to be active and engage in lively games indoors. This impacts on their physical development and restricts their ability to learn about the benefits of regular exercise on their health and well-being.

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

Children have toast for their snack and they confirm they eat a suitable range of other healthy snacks, such as wraps, fruit, cucumber and carrots. They are competent at managing their own personal needs and understand appropriate hygiene routines to minimise the risk of cross-infection. For example, they know why they have to use soap when washing their hands, in order to get rid of germs. Children develop a good understanding of acceptable behaviour because staff set consistent boundaries and offer plenty of praise and encouragement. Consequently, children are polite, well-behaved and play cooperatively together.

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provision

The owners of the club are experienced early years providers and understand their responsibility to ensure that the legal requirements of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage are met. They keep in regular contact with staff to discuss issues and monitor practice. Informal arrangements are in place for staff supervision and the owner plans to conduct annual appraisals. Management and staff are aware of some of the areas for development, particularly in relation to the limitations of the environment and they are taking steps to make some improvements. For example, they are working with local authority advisors to review practice and create more cosy areas for the children. However, self-evaluation is not fully robust because staff do not consistently encourage parents to contribute their views about the club and there is no clear improvement plan to tackle areas of weakness.

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provision

Staff demonstrate a suitable understanding of the procedures for safeguarding children. They know how to recognise possible signs of abuse and how to report concerns about children's welfare. Staff are suitably qualified and vetted, and they have some opportunities to attend further training to develop their skills, such as managing challenging behaviour and promoting equality and diversity.

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provision

There are some links in place with the host school and staff pass on relevant messages between home and school with regard to children's health and well-being. This contributes to supporting consistency in the children's care. However, staff do not consult with teachers about children's learning, which makes it difficult for them to know how children are progressing in school and how best to complement and extend their learning at the club. On the whole, parents are satisfied with what the club has to offer, but there are some mixed opinions. For example, parents say 'the children are safe and the staff are very friendly', but there is 'potential to review how they use the space because it's restricted'.

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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 EY453849 Local authority Stoke on Trent Inspection number 881141

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 3 - 17 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 16 Name of provider Happy Hours Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07970669138

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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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