CAPE Birkenhead

The Academy Club Birkenhead High School for Girls, 86 Devonshire Place, PRENTON, Merseyside, CH43 1TY

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/01/2013 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

 Children are happy and relaxed as they enjoy warm, friendly relationships with staff and each other.  Children take part in a wide variety of play opportunities and activities, which are fun and meet their individual interests.  The effective partnership working with parents and the host school and nursery promotes continuity in children's welfare, learning and development.  Staff are motivated to extend their knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and childcare practice and are provided with regular opportunities to attend training.

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It is not yet good because

 The record of the children's information is not maintained for each child as legally required.  The risk assessment, which is part of the health and safety procedure, is not rigorous enough to identify hazards, which pose a risk to children, as legally required.  Children do not serve their own food at snack time to further increase their skills of independence in their self-care.

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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 playrooms and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the registered person and discussed self- evaluation.  The inspector looked at children's records and all required documentation.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

The Academy Club was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated within Birkenhead School for Girls in Prenton, Wirral and is managed by the registered provider. The provision serves the children attending the school and nursery. It is accessible to all children. It operates from two floors within the cottage building and the main hall, music room and discovery room within the primary school building. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The provision employs four members of childcare staff. All hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, including one at level 6. The provision opens Monday to Friday and sessions are from 7.30am until 8.30am and from 3.30pm until 6pm in term time. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 22 children attending, who are in the early years age group.

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must:

 ensure the information recorded for each child includes their date of birth, name and address of every parent and carer who is known to the provider (and information about any other person who has parental responsibility for the child), which of these parents or carers the child normally lives with and emergency contact details of the parents and carers  ensure effective implementation of the health and safety policy, this particularly relates to identifying, reporting and dealing with hazards and faulty equipment.

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

 increase opportunities for children to serve their own food at snack times; for them to determine how much and what they want to eat.

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who attend

The playrooms are bright, welcoming and thoughtfully planned to create a stimulating environment for children. On arrival, the children immediately and enthusiastically participate in their choice of activity. The broad range and accessibility of play resources supports the children's learning and promotes their skills of independence. Staff use their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and follow the interests of the children to support their progress towards the early learning goals. Staff consistently demonstrate good practice in guiding children's learning and supporting their individual needs. The planning of activities offers children a good level of challenge and fun and complements what they do at school and nursery. For example, children learn about compasses and their purpose, they produce and present their own plays and dance routines. Consequently, all ages of children are interested and motivated. Staff record their

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who attend

observations on their key children. They use their observations and information gathered from the parents and the nursery and school teachers to plan to help children achieve and make progress. Staff establish positive relationships with parents. An initial assessment is completed when children start, which involves parents and forms the base line for planning.

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who attend

Key persons value ongoing communication with parents to meet children's individual needs and involve them in their children's learning. Parents are invited to share information about events in the children's home life and to contribute to their records of learning. Staff have regular contact with the teachers at both the school and nursery to effectively promote continuity in care and learning. Many children want to be physically active and they enjoy the space of the outdoor environment to pursue energetic play. Children take the lead in their play. They are creative and the resources available fully support this interest. Children become fully engaged in role play and confidently move around the room as their play ideas develop. They demonstrate their understanding of healthy eating as they plan a menu that includes fruit and vegetables. Children incorporate technology in this activity as they use the play telephones and home corner equipment.

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who attend

Their skills in operating technology are extended when they use the karaoke machine. Children obviously enjoy staff's involvement in their play and invite them to join them in playing the card game 'Snap'. There is a positive response from staff, who ask them to divide the cards equally. In completing this task, the staff question the children asking whether everyone has the same number of cards. Staff give the children time to think about this. They realise the stacks of cards are different heights and find a way to solve the problem by counting the cards to ensure that each player has the equal amount. This is an example of the staff's understanding of how to promote effectively children's learning. As they play the game, children use their mathematical language and show their social skills in taking turns and listening to what others have to say.

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

Children are lively and there is a lot of laughter. It is apparent that they feel safe and secure with staff through their relaxed behaviour. The effective key person system helps both children and parents to build strong relationships with staff. This means that staff know the family well and are able to provide relevant, sensitive support. Staff caringly attend to the varying needs of children after a day at school or nursery. They know their key children very well and they promptly respond to their needs. For example, they notice children showing signs of tiredness and they ask them if they want to rest. Children readily agree to this and staff provide blankets for them to rest comfortably on the settee. The partnership working with the school and nursery staff has a positive impact on supporting children's transition between the different settings. Children's familiarly with staff through their role in the school helps to further enhance their smooth transition to the provision.

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

Children show a strong sense of belonging within the provision. They have made their own club rules. All children express their feelings and expectations about the boundaries of acceptable behaviour in their 'club'. Children draw pictures and write their comments about the rules, which they expect themselves and others to follow. If the children's writing skills are at the early stages of development, staff write down what they say to ensure that they have an equal voice in the decision making. As a group, the children discuss and agree the rules and they are put on display. They are added to if children feel it is necessary. Staff are positive role models for children's behaviour. Their lively personalities sparks children's interest and develops their self-confidence to have a go and face challenges.

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

Outside, the children enjoy a range of equipment to promote their physical skills, including the permanent large apparatus owned by the school. Children and staff play a game of chase. There is ample space for children to run very fast and enjoy the sense of movement. Children's involvement in this type of activity helps them to learn to manage risks for themselves, as they avoid bumping into other children or tripping over. Staff position themselves to make sure that they can best supervise the children. They are attentive to many aspects of children's safety. However, there are inconsistencies in implementing the health and safety policy, which includes carrying out a daily risk assessment of the premises. This is not rigorous enough to identify hazards or faulty equipment, for example, the damaged exit door was not identified as a risk to children. This is a breach of a legal requirement.

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

The snack time is a social event. Children sit together around the tables while they eat and talk. They freely access and pour their own drinks to quench their thirst. However, they do not serve the food themselves to further enhance their independence in their self- care skills. The breakfast and the after school snack menu provides healthy options for children to benefit from. Staff have completed food safety training to ensure that the correct procedures are followed to prevent the risk of food contamination. Records show children's individual dietary requirements are known and followed by staff. Key persons plan to promote aspects of individual children's development in their self-care skills.

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provision

Staff have a clear knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding procedures and how to protect children. Therefore, children are kept safe from harm. The vetting and recruitment procedures ensures that all persons employed at the setting are suitable to work with children. The premises are secure and children are supervised well both indoors and outside. In addition, all visitors sign the visitor's book to further safeguard the children

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provision

This is the provision's first inspection since registration. The registered provider is committed to the ongoing development of the provision. The views of staff, parents and children are sought as part of the evaluation process. As a result, action plans are in place with target dates set to drive the continuous improvement of the provision. There is a commitment to raising the quality of practice through training and professional development opportunities. Staff's training requirements are identified through supervision and appraisal meetings. The registered person has a secure understanding of how to promote and monitor children's learning and development within the spirit of the out of school provision. However, there is an incomplete record of the required information necessary for each child. This is a breach of a legal requirement.

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provision

The partnership established with parents and teaching staff significantly contributes to meeting the needs of the children. Parents are well informed about the organisation of the provision, which includes being given information about the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage and copies of the provision's polices and procedures. Parents express their great satisfaction with the provision and they consider that it complements their children's school and nursery experiences to support their progress.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

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actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

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To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure the premises used for the purpose of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (Suitability and Safety of Premises and Equipment)  ensure records are kept of the home address and date of birth of each child and the name, home address and telephone number of a parent, guardian and carer of each child (Records to be kept)  ensure the premises used for the purpose of childcare are safe and suitable for that childcare (Suitability and Safety of Premises and Equipment)  ensure records are kept of the home address and date of birth of each child and the name, home address and telephone number of a parent, guardian and carer of each child (Records to be kept).

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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 EY450043 Local authority Wirral Inspection number 809892

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 3 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 76 Name of provider EJF Associates Ltd Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01516525777

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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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