Sidings Community & Under 5's Centre

Sidings Community & Under 5's Centre 150 Brassey Road, London, NW6 2BA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16/10/2013 01/02/2011

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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 person system works very well to support children. Consequently they are happy and settle well.  Children develop good concentration because they have the time and attention to focus on what they want to do and consolidate their skills and knowledge.  The planning and assessment systems work well to support learning across the curriculum.  Small group work is very effective at meeting the individual needs of children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities are sometimes missed for children to develop independence skills, such as at snack when they do not consistently pour their drinks and help themselves to food.

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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

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged 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 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  scheduled 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 held discussions with staff members.  The inspector did a joint observation of children with the manager.  The inspector talked with parents and considered their views.  The inspector had a discussion with the manager and senior managers.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector viewed a range of relevant documentation including children's records, assessment and planning documents, and some policies.  The inspector observed children's activities, resources and displays.

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Information about the setting

Sidings Community and Under Fives' Centre was registered in 1992 and is managed by a committee. The setting offers a range of services including sessional care, full day care, after school care and holiday play schemes. For this reason it is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from two spacious areas in a community centre, in the London Borough of Camden. Outdoor and indoor soft play areas are accessible. The setting serves the local community and children attending reflect the cultural diversity of families from the area, a number of whom speak English as an additional language. The setting also supports children with special educational needs and disabilities. It receives early years funding for the two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about the setting

The setting operates each weekday for 48 weeks a year from 10am to 1pm and from 1pm to 4pm, with some children attending all day. A maximum of 44 children may be in the early years age range, with no more than six children under two years in the creche. There are currently 33 children in the early years age range on roll. The setting employs 11 members of staff to work with children in the early years age range. All staff have relevant early years qualifications.

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

 develop further opportunities for children to develop independence skills at snack or lunch time.

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who attend

Children at the setting are very happy and settle well. Staff demonstrate a strong knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and they know how to promote and assess children's learning and development. Staff gather a good range of information from parents when their children start. This allows them to write individual education plans to support children's ongoing development. The rooms and the outdoor play areas are organised to ensure that children access resources independently and that they make choices about what they want to do throughout the day. The staff plan to cover all seven areas of learning and they use children's individual interests to help motivate and engage them in activities. Children show very good concentration skills for their age because staff give them the attention and the time to explore and investigate as they play. For example, the two-year-

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who attend

old children experiment for a long time with bubble painting. They create large mounds of bubbles by blowing through straws, sweep off bubbles with their hands, and splash in the bowls to watch the coloured water mix with the bubbles. Adults offer the language to help children to express themselves, and children pick up new words and test them out as they describe what they are doing. It is clear that children are eager to learn and that they are supported very well to develop good communications skills. Older children are also engaged proactively to enjoy stories. They paint the characters in a favourite book and recall the sequence of the events in the story, before they act it out in the garden.

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who attend

Current displays of children's attempts to write for a purpose show that they prepared a tea party for their parents and wrote invitations, as well as preparing the food for the event. Small group work is supporting the children well because they receive very good levels of attention from adults and develop a good level of knowledge and experience of the natural and manufactured world. They investigate nature through the exciting Forest School programme where they create small dens and shake the undergrowth to discover insects that inhabit plants. The children also learn to take measured risks when they slide down the fire fighters' pole on the climbing frame and scoot around the garden on bikes and other wheeled toys.

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who attend

There are good resources which children can access easily and they learn to care for them and to tidy them away. The children participate in a wide range of art activities and these stimulate their creativity and enable them to enjoy learning with all their senses. For example, displays on the wall show that they recently painted with cars, running through paint trays and straight on to large pieces of paper on the floor. This is both exciting and teaches them to direct the vehicles and to observe how the tyres leave different imprints on the paper. They also demonstrate good physical skills in transferring rice and pasta from one container to another, using spoons. The children enjoy dressing up in the clothes that they have collected to celebrate the festival of Id, and the cultural diversity of the children and parents is reflected in the selection of books, musical instruments and artefacts that the children use. Staff use the electronic whiteboard effectively to support

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who attend

the development of mathematics and the children from a young age recognise different shapes and begin to count accurately. The staff introduce mathematical language in a very natural way. For example, they encourage the children to count the bricks they have used to build a station, and to count the children around the table and check that there are enough chairs for everyone to sit comfortably. There are number friezes displayed both inside and outdoors, to remind children about the look and sequence of numbers to 10.

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who attend

Children participate in regular cooking and seasonal gardening activities. They learn about healthy foods and the importance of eating well and exercising. Parents are encouraged to play an active role in their children's development and to participate in regular assessment meetings to exchange information about their children's progress and learning. Parents also enjoy writing about the exciting experiences they have with their children at home and they contribute these to the 'Wow' display in the nursery. This is a positive system of recording achievements that helps children feel proud of what they have done with their families.

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

The daily risk assessment of the rooms and outdoors ensures that staff prepare the spaces that children use and check the reliability of resources. Staff subtly promote children's understanding of safety throughout the day. They introduce activities to children and remind them to use the equipment safely. They emphasise through discussion and by example how best to handle tools and these prompts support children to develop good skills and keep themselves safe. For example, when three- and four-year-old children use the fire fighters' pole to slide down from the climbing frame, adults encourage them to prepare their hands and feet so that they can slip down with ease. Even the two-year-old children learn not to slip on the floors that have been wet through play, and know how to fetch paper towels and newspaper to mop up the mess.

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

The children learn quickly how to behave because there are high expectations that they share and take turns with their friends. When disagreements occur, staff handle them sensitively and encourage the children to think about what they have said and resolve the problem through negotiation. For example, when three- and four-year-old children want the same bike to ride, they know that they can fetch the egg timer to time the session and give each of them the chance to have a go. Staff treat children and each other with great respect and this has a very positive impact on the atmosphere in the setting. It is calm and busy, and a place that feels supportive and homely. Children thrive in this environment and receive lots of adult attention and interest. Children learn to be polite, kind and loving towards each other and this is because they have such good role models in the adults that care for them.

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

Children learn to use the toilets on their own and they know about the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet and before meals. Meal times are calm and sociable events as well as learning experiences. Staff support children to eat healthily and to enjoy their packed lunches. The snack sessions enable children to sample the same food together and to develop physical and social skills. However, some opportunities are missed to encourage children's independence at these times, as they are not always able to pour their own drinks or select the crackers they want.

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

Children benefit from physical play indoors and outdoors. They participate in action songs, and they learn good jumping, running and pedalling skills outdoors in all weathers. In addition, regular trips into the park that surrounds the setting provide excellent opportunities to investigate wildlife and observe the trains rushing along the tracks close by. Children at the nursery are healthy and active and enjoy the company of their friends. They receive lots of praise and encouragement from adults and this increases their motivation for learning and their self-esteem.

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provision

The manager and her staff are fully aware of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework requirements and demonstrate that they comply with them. There are robust arrangements for safeguarding children and there are policies and procedures in place to ensure that all staff know their roles and responsibilities. These are discussed regularly at staff meetings and with new staff during their induction period. They review policies as required and update them as legislation changes. Safe recruiting processes ensure that management effectively selects new staff, and mentors them in their probationary period so that the welfare of children is protected. Thorough risk assessments are undertaken daily, by both staff and management, to support children's health and well-being. In addition, there are risk assessments for specific outings and activities, such as the Forest School visits to Westbere Cops and the trip in the summer to Broadstairs.

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provision

Children's records and the required documentation to support their welfare are stored securely to maintain confidentiality. This includes accident records, the complaints log and details of medication administered to children. Children's health is also protected by all staff receiving training in first aid. Members of staff are well supported by the management of the centre and they can access training in early years to improve knowledge and skills, and to update their qualifications. Regular supervision and yearly appraisal of staff also ensure that they can participate in decision making, and in voicing their views and concerns.

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provision

The key person system works well and children's files and portfolios are well organised and show how children progress across all areas of learning. The activities offered to the children demonstrate that staff are very committed to making the most of training opportunities. Their good understanding of the learning and development requirements ensures that they introduce new activities in stimulating ways to motivate children's interest and participation.

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provision

The local authority offers training and also provides support by visiting regularly to identify and build on strengths in the setting. Self-evaluation of the service is effective and ongoing, and the management also seeks the comments and views of parents to try to improve what is offered. Parents are encouraged to be engaged by accompanying children and staff on visits and outings, and by taking part in fundraising. Parents said that they like the daily informal feedback from staff about what children are doing. Parents also attend meetings to discuss their children's progress and are supported to teach their children new skills at home. The nursery has good partnerships with other professionals, such as local health visitors and speech and language therapists, and this ensure that children's individual and special needs are addressed.

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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 action. 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 100559 Local authority Camden Inspection number 813167 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider The Sidings Community Centre Date of previous inspection 01/02/2011 Telephone number 020 7624 0588

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: 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, which are usually the childminder’s 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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