St Anthony's After School Club

St Anthony's After School Club The Annexe, St. Anthonys Drive, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 3SQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/11/2013 16/12/2008

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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

 Children are happy, safe and secure and have formed very good relationships with staff and one another. This promotes a positive sense of belonging for all children.  Activities and resources meet all children's needs and interests. Staff support children's personal, social and emotional development, speaking and listening skills and encourage children to be physically active. Therefore, they continue to achieve well and make good progress in their chosen play.  Good behaviour is promoted by staff, who provide clear and consistent boundaries. Consequently, children behave extremely well and show they feel safe in the environment.  Staff develop good partnerships with parents and information is continually exchanged. As a result, parents are highly satisfied with the good level of care and support provided and are well informed of their children's ongoing learning and development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities for staff to strengthen the existing partnerships formed with the school are not fully explored, in order to extend how information is shared in support of the planning for children's rapidly developing learning and progress.  Some staff occasionally take the lead during craft activities, for example, by cutting shapes out and mixing paint for children. As a result, their developing creativity is not always fully extended.

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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 accompanied staff when children were collected from the local school.  The inspector spoke with the children and staff throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the children engaged in activities in the playroom and the large hall.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector met with the manager and discussed a range of subjects and looked at records and policies, procedures and children's learning journals.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to parents as they arrived to collect their children and looked at written comments recorded on questionnaires.

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Information about the setting

St Anthony's After School Club was registered in 2005 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is managed by a voluntary committee and operates from two rooms in a single storey building situated next door to St. Anthony's Primary School on the outskirts of Preston, Lancashire. Children have access to a lounge room and sports hall. There is access to the school playground for outdoor play. The club serves the school and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The club opens Monday to Friday, term time only from 7.30am to 8.50am and from 3pm to 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 55 children on roll, 14 of whom are in the early years age group. There are six members of childcare staff working with the children. Of these, one holds an appropriate qualification at level 2, two at level 3, including the manager and one at level 6.

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

 extend opportunities for children to have even more freedom and choice to express their own creativity as they explore and use media and materials

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

 extend and strengthen current partnerships with school teachers, in order to support a continuous and cohesive approach to support the planning for children's developing learning and progress.

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who attend

Children are happy and fully enjoy attending the after school club where they readily join in activities. Staff display a good understanding of how to promote children's learning and development. They show this by providing a range of activities and experiences that interest children and encourage them to make choices and decisions. For example, staff encourage children to look in the 'catalogue of activities' books where they can choose what they wish to play with. Staff's quality of teaching is good. As a result, children make good progress towards the early learning goals.

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who attend

Staff place a strong emphasis on the importance of extending children's personal, social and emotional development and their communication, language and physical skills. This supports them very well as they move forward in their learning at school. Children are confident when communicating with their peers and staff provide good opportunities, such as a cosy area with floor cushions, to encourage children to socially interact with each other. Conversations take full account of the things children do when they are not at the club. For example, staff ask children about their interests at home, what they did and if they took part in any activities. This supports children's recall and language for thinking and makes them feel valued. Children sit together during snack times and listen to each other as they talk about their day. This helps them develop key skills for future learning, such as concentration and turn taking as well as helping them to be confident in other

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who attend

Children's creativity is supported as they enjoy making marks and pictures by drawing with a variety of pencils and crayons. For example, children draw pictures of favourite animals and others help decorate a large picture for their new display. They use paints, brushes and sponges to paint the church and talk about their photographs to be placed on top. Staff support these activities and overall, children have the freedom to manage their own skills and follow their own ideas. However, occasionally, staff take the lead with the children. For example, they mix paint and cut out the shapes for the children during a planned activity and this affects children's ability to develop their fine motor skills and their individual creativity. Children learn about space and measure as they play with a range of construction toys and discuss how big their circle of blocks have become. They practise counting skills as they engage in imaginative play and confidently count the petals on the

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who attend

flower models they have made. These provide children with good opportunities to further enhance their numeracy skills.

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who attend

Children are provided with a good variety of activities to enhance their physical skills both inside and outdoors. For example, they enjoy skipping, rolling hula-hoops and participating in racing games in the large hall. Children are enthusiastic about these games and they run and chase each other, shouting, laughing and squealing to their friends. They show their excitement at winning and staff praise the children for their efforts. This enables them to explore, test and develop their physical skills, helps them feel valued and promotes their personal, social and emotional development. Staff regularly observe and assess the children to understand what they can do and how to support them to successfully develop and progress further. All information is put into the children's individual learning journey books and good systems are used to track their progress. Partnerships with parents are good. They speak with the manager and staff daily and are

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who attend

verbally informed of their child's involvement in the club's activities. Parents are provided with regular newsletters about events and activities at the club. A noticeboard displays a range of information, including the learning and development requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. These methods all support two-way communication to promote the learning and development of all children in the club.

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

The settling-in process for the children is managed sensitively by the staff to support them to feel secure. Children are allocated a key person and results in forming close relationships that fully enhance children's self-assurance and well-being. Children are confident to share their feelings and concerns because staff are skilled in responding in a caring way. They demonstrate how content they are when they sit alongside staff and talk openly about their families and lives outside school. Children are respectful, show concern for each other and there is a calm harmonious atmosphere in the main room. This results in children's behaviour being exemplary.

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

Staff collect children from their classroom and school hall, make their way through the school building and walk across the playground to the out of school club room. Transitions are well managed and children are supported to ensure they have all their belongings with them. These practices effectively promote the safe management of the club and children's well-being. Children have access to a good selection of resources and equipment that engage and interest them. Children are effectively supported to develop a good awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Staff encourage them to wash their hands independently before eating and after toileting. Children learn to make their own choices by deciding what to eat from a range of healthy food. For example, they enjoy a snack of ham, cheese, chopped carrots and salad vegetables accompanied by bread wraps. Opportunities for regular exercise are available indoors and outside, encouraging children

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

to become active in ways which interest them. For example, they enjoy team games in the hall and have great fun as they play a whole group game with coloured hoops. Staff actively join in with the children, which further enhances their fun and enjoyment.

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

Children learn about keeping themselves safe. They competently follow the safety procedures of the after school club. For example, they inform the staff if they wish to leave the room to go to the bathroom and inform them of their return. Children participate in regular fire evacuation drills. This ensures they know how to get out of the premises quickly and safely in the event of an emergency. Staff discuss with the children other safety topics through the year, such as Bonfire Night and stranger awareness. This results in them learning to keep themselves safe in what they do, both at the club and when at home. Parents display how satisfied they are with the out of school club by completing questionnaires. They use words, such as 'excellent' and 'extremely supportive' and 'very good' to describe the service provided.

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provision

The manager and staff have a secure understanding of the Statutory framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how children learn best. They have a good understanding of the provision as they monitor the educational programmes ensuring children have a broad range of experiences throughout each session and plan an interesting range of activities they know children will enjoy. Staff involve children in the planning of the activities and generally work well with the school to support the children in what they do. This ensures children are included and feel valued within the club. However, there is scope to extend information sharing with the teachers, in order to complement planning and children's rapid progress in their learning and development.

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provision

The safeguarding and welfare requirements are successfully met and understood. They are embedded well with clear policies and procedures known and implemented by the staff. Staff have completed child protection training. They are able to identify signs and symptoms that would cause concern and they know the correct procedures to follow as a result. There is a robust safeguarding policy, which has been updated to include guidance about the use of cameras and mobile telephones in the after school club. The complaints policy is in place and available for parents, so that they are aware of what to do if they have a concern. Staff have completed first aid training and are confident in providing emergency first aid. Daily records, such as attendance registers and accidents, are suitably maintained. The security of the premises is given a high priority and is well maintained throughout. Risk assessments are used effectively and daily checks are completed to

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provision

identify and address any risks before the children arrive. There is a robust recruitment and induction process in place with clear roles and responsibilities identified for all staff. The manager and staff team have regular meetings that ensure staff are aware of training opportunities and maintain a good level of professional development.

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provision

Effective self-evaluation of the setting and practice ensures that priorities for improvements are identified and acted upon to enhance the care of the children, by all staff. The club is managed by a voluntary committee, of which some members are parents of children, who attend. Parents are highly satisfied with the club and the opportunities for their children to socialise and make new friends. Staff take into account the views of parents, through discussion and regular questionnaires and listen to children. All parents spoken to during the inspection are highly complimentary about the quality of care and education their children receive at the setting. They are keen to express how overwhelmingly satisfied they are with the club. They comment that they appreciate the two-way communication with staff and that they are approachable and very friendly. The manager has a good understanding and working knowledge of the importance of working

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provision

in partnership with external agencies to ensure appropriate interventions for children should they need them. This means that children's welfare needs can always be met.

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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 Requires improvement The provision is not giving children a good standard of early years education and/or there are minor breaches of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected within twelve months of the date of this inspection. 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

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Grade Judgement Description

the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. 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 EY293552 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 877799

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 55 Name of provider St Anthony's After School Club Committee Date of previous inspection 16/12/2008 Telephone number 07890715856

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Type of provision

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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