St Gabriel's Centre

St Gabriel's Centre 83a Marston Road, Birmingham, B29 5LS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13/11/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 4 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 4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 4

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This provision is inadequate

 Leadership and management of the setting is not robust. Arrangements for induction, supervision and monitoring of staff performance are not yet embedded to ensure they are secure in their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage and can deliver all aspects successfully. This means that children's safety, well-being and learning is not consistently promoted.  Some policies and procedures are not consistently implemented. This compromises children's safety and welfare.  Arrangements for obtaining, sharing information and working in partnership with parents, schools and other early years settings that children attend, are not in place. Therefore, staff are unable to effectively support each child's learning and help them make progress as an accurate assessment of their starting points has not been obtained.  Self-evaluation is weak and does not identify strengths or target areas for future improvement.

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This provision is inadequate

 Children do not have access to the full range of resources available, therefore, limiting the choices they have in deciding what they want to do.

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It has the following strengths

 Staff are kind, reassuring and welcome all children warmly to the setting.  Children play well with each other, are cooperative and behave well. They engage in activities and tasks to promote their independence.

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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 had discussions with the nominated person and staff.  The inspector observed activities in the room.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at policies and procedures, staff files, children's records, accident book and children's attendance register.

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Information about the setting

St Gabriel's After School Club was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is privately owned and operates from two rooms in St Gabriel's Centre in Weoley Castle, Birmingham. The club serves the immediate locality and the surrounding areas. The club opens Monday to Friday, from 3.30pm to 6pm, term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. There are currently nine children in the early years age range.

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Information about the setting

There are five staff working directly with the children. Three hold a recognised early years qualification to level 3. The manager has a degree in education.

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must:

 ensure that all staff fully understand the club's safeguarding, confidentiality and lone working policies and procedures, so that children's safety is effectively promoted

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must:

 ensure that all staff receive effective induction training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities and enable them to implement all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage effectively and consistently

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must:

 develop staff knowledge of how to use observations and assessments of what children can do to target their next steps, so they make good progress in all areas of learning

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must:

 improve the leadership and management of the club to ensure that robust systems are in place to monitor, support, coach and train staff, so that they have a secure understanding of how children develop and through effective teaching, they can support children's learning

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must:

 implement a regular two-way flow of information with parents, carers, schools and other settings that children attend to establish children's starting points and enable staff to complement the learning that children receive elsewhere, so that children make good progress

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must:

 ensure that an accurate record of children's attendance is maintained, so that their safety and welfare is secure.

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

 review the environment to ensure that all resources are accessible to every child, so that they can make independent choices regarding their play and learning.

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who attend

Staff have some understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning, development and assessments requirements but this is still quite limited. They have not developed appropriate systems to enable them to adapt the educational programme to cater for the needs of children attending after school. Key person groups have only just been established and as yet, discussions have not taken place with schools and nurseries that children attend. In addition, relevant information has not been obtained from parents with regards to their child's attainments and where further support may be required. This means that staff do not have a secure knowledge of each child's current stage of development and starting points on which to build. They are unable to provide a consistent and complementary approach to children's learning. Staff are not confident in their understanding of how to inspire and support children during activities and provide

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who attend

them with adequate challenges. As a result, the quality of teaching is inadequate and children are not able to make as much progress as they can.

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who attend

Children are happy and relaxed in the club and enjoy the activities available. The manager plans these to ensure that all areas of learning are represented and incorporates a range of topics and themes, the current one being the weather and wind. Children make a shell wind chime, ribbon twirler, paper windmill and kites, providing investigation opportunities as they explore and observe the effect that the wind has on these. They blow bubbles and see how high and how far these travel. This helps children to have contact with natural outdoor elements and observe how these interact and change. They make 'Makaton' weather symbols, learning that communication is conveyed in different ways. Information is obtained about different countries, their people and customs and the food they like to eat. This is further explored in a variety of food tasting experiences to broaden children's awareness of people's differences. These activities also help children in developing an

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who attend

Children choose activities for themselves, although, access to some resources is difficult and they are not always readily available. For example, books were locked in cupboards or in the office for the duration of the inspection. Children at times play outside, although, this is dependent on the weather and time of year. Indoor pursuits ensure that they engage in physical play, such as, fitness games, soft play, table football and giant board games. Their personal, social and emotional development is appropriately fostered as they are encouraged to do things for themselves, for example, they often make their own sandwiches. However, staff's knowledge of how to support children's learning during play is limited. This means that children are not consistently provided with a challenging environment, which supports and extends all areas of their learning and development.

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

Staff are friendly and welcoming, forging warm relationships with children. They join in their conversations and listen to their news as they return from school. Children feel comfortable to seek staff out for help and support. General information is recorded at the start of the placement detailing children's individual care needs. Effective practices ensure children's health and dietary needs are understood and met. However, the club are still in the process of establishing a key person system. As a result, relationships have not yet been forged with parents, schools and nurseries. This means that accurate information regarding children's learning and development is not shared to ensure that transitions between settings are smooth.

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

The environment is generally organised well to provide children with areas where they can relax but also opportunities for them to engage in more energetic play. Areas are designated for eating and children enjoy the social aspect that this provides, sitting and chatting with their friends. Children become increasingly confident, play cooperatively and are well behaved. Resources are quite plentiful, although, some are not easily accessible, which means that children do not have full choice from the range available.

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

Children manage their personal care independently, hanging up their coats when they return from school and washing their hands before eating their food. They confidently decide what they want to eat and enjoy varied, nutritious and healthy snacks, such as vegetables and dips. A jug of water is freely available and children help themselves to a drink whenever they want. Children learn about safe practices, particularly on the 'walking bus' when they return from school. They learn the importance of listening to staff and following instructions, so that their understanding of road safety is promoted. General activities, such as cooking help them learn how to handle various tools and equipment safely.

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provision

Staff are familiar with the signs and symptoms of abuse and the relevant agencies to contact if faced with a potential child protection concern. However, some staff are still confused as to whom the designated safeguarding officer is within the setting. They show some understanding of what would happen if an allegation is made against themselves, although, systems are not yet robust to ensure all staff are familiar with the confidentiality and lone working policies. In addition, staff do not ensure that children's departure is accurately recorded and therefore, the register does not provide a clear picture of which children are present at any given time. This is a breach of both the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register Requirements. This compromises children's safety.

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provision

Induction procedures are not effective in ensuring that staff are equipped with the necessary skills to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. There are a range of well-written policies and procedures in place and staff are required to read these in their own time. However, systems for monitoring their understanding of these are not robust. As a result, there is a gap in what is written down and the reality of the daily practice. There is a reliance on all responsibilities resting with the manager, so that when she is off, the deputy manager and staff are not suitably skilled or informed of how to oversee the setting on a day-to-day basis. This was evident in the initial lack of access to staff's Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the start of the inspection, although, this information was eventually obtained.

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provision

The manager has started to carry out group supervision sessions with staff and some generic team training has taken place. However, individual supervision sessions to specifically look at the training needs of each member of staff are still in the very early stages of implementation. This means that the manager does not yet have an accurate view of all staff's knowledge and skills. Some staff are not confident in their knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. This potentially compromises their ability to fully support children and help them make progress. Links have not yet been established with schools and nurseries that children attend. In addition, information is only in the very early stages of being obtained from parents. As a result, not enough is being done to ensure that there is a consistent approach being taken to support children's development and complement what they are learning elsewhere. An up-to-date

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provision

analysis of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement, whereby staff, parents and children contribute their views, has not been undertaken. This means that there is no clear identification of targets or action plan in place to drive forward improvement.

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provision

Generally, children play in a safe and secure environment. All visitors to the setting are required to produce identification before being permitted entry. They are not left unattended with children at anytime. Risk assessments are carried out by staff who ensure that any hazards to children are minimised. Emergency evacuation procedures are practised, so that children know what to do in the event of a fire and can exit the building quickly.

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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 an accurate record of the names of children cared for and their hours of attendance is maintained (compulsory part of the Childcare Register).  ensure an accurate record of the names of children cared for and their hours of attendance is maintained (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

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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 EY461477 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 919730 Type of provision Out of school provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 9 Name of provider St Gabriel's Centre Weoley Castle Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01214781787

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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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