Ants Out of School Club

Ants Out of School Club c/o St. Anthony's Primary School, Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV10 6NW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/01/2014 11/11/2008

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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

 Strong relationships are in place between staff, children and parents. Children's self- esteem and confidence is nurtured through interactions they receive.  Children enjoy a wide variety of activities both indoors and outdoors. Children confidently choose and initiate their own play with their chosen friends, promoting their independence.  Children are sociable, courteous and well behaved. They understand the importance of being kind and considerate to each other and share and take turns during play. Praise and encouragement from staff ensures children feel secure and included.  Partnerships with parents and the host school are good. This supports a smooth transition between school and the club, which supports continuity in children's care and learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to extend the monitoring of new members of staff and trainees, so any need for further support is identified and addressed in a timely manner.

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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 observed play and learning activities and spoke to staff and children in the indoor and outdoor environment.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a meeting with the manager and looked at and discussed a range of policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Ants Out of School Club was registered in 2003 on the Early Years Register and the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. The setting is privately owned. It operates from one room in a building within the grounds of St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Primary School, situated on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. The setting collects and drops off school-aged children from the host school and a neighbouring school, within walking distance. Children have direct access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.

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Information about the setting

The setting opens five days a week from 7.30am until 9am and 3pm until 6pm, term time only. There are currently 60 children on roll, of whom five are in the early years age group. The setting employs six members of staff, all of whom hold appropriate qualifications at level 3 and two trainees who are working towards an early years qualification. The club receives support from the local authority early years advisory team.

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

 enhance monitoring procedures to provide new members of staff and trainees higher levels of support to extend their skills, so they are fully confident in their own roles and responsibilities.

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who attend

Children enthusiastically enter the club and immediately share their day with staff. The relationships between staff, children and the school are strong and communication between all three ensures continuity of care. Children chatter excitedly to their friends and staff are very positive role models for them and listen intently to what they have to tell them. This builds their self-esteem and confidence and encourages them to feel valued and included. The majority of activities are child led; the manager knows what topics children are studying at school and tries to complement this with activities to follow on from their interest. Staff listen to children's comments and interests and plans activities to meet these.

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who attend

Staff use positive strategies to help encourage children's language skills and skilfully ask questions to extends children's thought processes and encourage them to talk about family and home life. For example, children recall their experiences of cooking with their parents and extended family when baking cookies. They select the utensils needed, weighing and measuring ingredients and confidently mixing them and listen to staff as they show them how to mould mixture into cookies. Once cooked, children enjoy eating their cookies and share them out with other children. Consequently, children develop strong bonds with each other.

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who attend

Children benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise each day and enjoy the wide variety of activities. They choose when they wish to play outdoors and enjoy playing football in the large outdoor area. There is a good range of equipment indoors, including a pool table which children play with and take turns. Staff and children sit on the floor together and play a variety of games, which they clearly enjoy as children squeal with laughter. This environment effectively supports children's development and they are happy, settled and thoroughly enjoy their time at the club. Parents are kept well informed about what activities their child has enjoyed at the club.

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

Children are relaxed and confident and good relationships have developed between staff and children. Children in the early years range are initially assigned to the manager as their key person with a view to changing this if other attachments are made with other staff. Staff know children well as they work closely within the on-site school and this helps to promote their emotional well-being. Children demonstrate good levels of self-esteem as staff are attentive to all of them, welcome their views and opinions. Children are confident to talk with the inspector about their interest in sports and discuss football teams and personal preferences. Children are very well behaved and understand the need to share, take turns and be kind to their friends. Staff help children to be become aware of their own safety during meaningful activities. For example, when making hot chocolate, children are aware of the dangers of very hot water and consider this as they pour it into their

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

Children's independence is continually encouraged as they manage their personal care; choose when they wish to have their snack and choose if they want to play indoors or outdoors. The learning environment is very well organised, enabling children to choose resources and move between the indoor and outdoor area freely. This encourages their understanding of the importance of fresh air as part of a healthy lifestyle. Children enjoy a good range of nutritious foods for their snacks, which includes a variety of fruit and vegetables and takes into account of specific dietary needs and preferences. Snack time is flexible, enabling children to choose when they eat, therefore, not impacting on their learning or play, which enhances the flow of the session.

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

Staff know the children extremely well, demonstrating a secure knowledge of their needs, interests and mannerisms. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure any additional or medical needs are known and met. Clear records of accidents are maintained and shared with parents. All staff are knowledgeable of children's allergies or food preferences, so children's needs are met and respected at all times.

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provision

Children's welfare is promoted effectively. This is because the manager and staff have a good understanding of how to protect children in their care. Staff are confident in the effectiveness of procedures regarding allegations of abuse and reporting child protection concerns. Comprehensive policies and procedures are in place and are shared with parents. They provide clear guidelines about the procedures to follow and who to contact in the event of a concern. The manager follows appropriate recruitment procedures to ensure staff are safe and suitable to work with children. Trainees still undergoing suitability checks are closely supervised at all times to ensure there are never left alone with children. However, there is scope to extend how management monitor trainees' understanding of their responsibilities, so they are fully confident of their role within the club.

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provision

Since the last inspection, staff have taken appropriate action to ensure that all recommendations have been met. Regular fire drills are now carried out to ensure children are kept safe. Also, parents are asked to share who has parental responsibility for children on application forms. Staff carry out thorough risk assessments of the indoor and outdoor environments, so that children are well protected. Self-evaluation of the setting is carried out by staff. They send out questionnaires to parents and listen to children's views to identify areas for improvement or development.

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provision

Links with local schools are firmly established and staff are fully aware of the curriculum, extending children's learning through the activities they provide. Partnerships with parents are strong and good working relationships have developed, which is extremely positive for children as their needs are continually known and met. Parents speak highly of the club and staff, explaining they feel very well informed about their child's day, the activities they involve themselves in and that staff support them very well.

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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 EY276610 Local authority Wolverhampton Inspection number 860941

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider Laura Walker Date of previous inspection 11/11/2008 Telephone number 07948739742

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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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