Springboard Opportunity Group - Weston

Springboard Opportunity Group - Weston Ashcombe Children's Centre, Stepping Stone Walk, Earlham Grove, Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset, BS23 3JW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/12/2013 18/01/2010

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Rigorous systems ensure staff and volunteers are suitably experienced, qualified and vetted to work with children.  Inspirational leadership empowers staff through a stringent programme of professional development.  Children receive highly impressive support form exceptional staff who plan effectively and provide individualised teaching to enable children to make excellent progress from their starting points.  There is highly productive partnership working at all levels to enable high quality care, learning and development.  Highly skilled staff support children's communication skills very well.

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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 children playing inside and outdoors.  The inspector observed teaching and personal care routines.  The inspector and the play leader completed a joint observation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sampled a range of documentation including learning diaries and self- evaluation processes.  The inspector spoke to parents, staff and the management team.

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Information about the setting

Springboard Opportunity Group - Weston registered in 1995, moving to its current location in 2006. It now operates from new purpose-built premises at Ashcombe Children's Centre, which is part of Ashcombe County Primary School, Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset. The premises consist of a large and small playroom, a soft-play room and a sensory room. There is also a parents/meeting room, accessible toilets, a shower room and a food preparation area. The children have their own fully enclosed garden area and they share a central all weather play area with other groups on site.

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Information about the setting

The group is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 33 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The group is in receipt of funding for free early education for children aged two, three and four years. All the children who attend have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The group is open each weekday during term time only. On Monday the group is open from 12:30pm until 3:30pm; on Tuesday from 9:15am until 12:15pm and from 1:30pm until 3:30pm; on Wednesday from 9:15am until 12:15pm and on Thursday and Friday from 9:15am until 12:15pm and from 1:30pm until 3:30pm. When sessions are provided in the morning and afternoon, there is provision for children to stay all day. A stay and play session is available on a Monday morning during term time and on a Wednesday morning during school holidays.

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Information about the setting

The committee employ two managers. One manager holds Early Years Professional status and is a qualified teacher and, the other, a play leader, who also holds Early Years Professional Status. They are supported by 12 staff who work directly with the children. All 12 staff hold early years qualifications at level 3. This includes a qualified teacher. Bank staff are employed and all hold an early years qualification at level 3. Qualified staff are supported by a team of 18 volunteers. The committee also employ administrative staff.

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

 further develop children's independence when using technology.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy a wide variety of experiences across the areas of learning, in particular to support their communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. Staff know their children exceptionally well and plan stimulating activities to ensure they make excellent progress from their starting points. There are rigorous assessment arrangements, which routinely involve the key person, parents and any other agencies involved with the child. Volunteers receive excellent support from the play leader, who gives them clear information on the aim of an activity and how to challenge children further through excellent modelling of teaching strategies.

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who attend

Children use technology very well, overall, such as the 'more' button to communicate their needs at lunch time. Staff are beginning to develop the use of teaching aids and access training to teach children to be more independent with a more varied range of technological equipment. Staff excel at responding to children's communication repeating the sounds they make and modelling sentences to match their actions to words. This supports children very well to understand what is going on around them. Staff consistently talk to the children providing a commentary of what they are doing and learning. For example, when decorating a Christmas cake children are actively involved in sensory experiences, such as tasting, smelling and touching the icing as they roll it into an appropriate shape. Staff teach children new words to describe what they are feeling, such as 'crinkly' packaging. Staff are exceptionally good at providing children with an ongoing

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who attend

commentary to help them understand what they are doing. They support their development highly successfully through positive interactions, such as reassuring them of new experiences and responding positively to their body language.

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who attend

Staff are very good at giving children time to respond. For example, when singing familiar songs with the children staff remain silent so that children have the opportunity to process what they have heard and to join in, such as providing the scream when they see a crocodile. Children respond very well to visual stimuli, such as a photograph of themselves and their friends as they sing their 'hello' song. Staff use sign language and visual timetables exceptionally well to support children's developing communication skills. Parents value the support staff give them so that they can learn the signs to provide extremely good continuity between the provision and home.

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who attend

Staff use props incredibly well to support children to focus their attention. For example, children become familiar with routines, such as staff ringing bells reminds children it is circle time. Staff give children every opportunity to explore using their senses and to use familiar objects to develop skills, such as repetitive use of bells in familiar songs.

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

The learning environments are exceptionally stimulating and provide children with purposeful opportunities to explore independently, such as the sensory room. Staff have taken time to carefully label the environment with words, pictures and signs to encourage children to make decisions about their play. Staff are sensitive to children's needs for example, lights are dimmed during circle time so that children can develop eye contact with their key person.

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

Staff ensure that children are emotionally very well supported for their next stages in learning through the comprehensive, effective and thorough key person system. Consequently children thrive. Staff have excellent knowledge of the children in their care and meet their needs whole heartedly. For example, staff organise themselves very effectively to feed children at lunchtime according to their needs. When children are held to be fed staff are exceptionally respectful, taking children's lead as to when they want their next mouthful. Children are fully aware of their own needs. For example, children press the 'more' button when they are ready for another spoonful of pasta and shake their heads when they have finished. Staff are excellent practitioners who are highly skilled at praising children's achievements and celebrating them with parents, such as putting a spoon to their mouth when copying staff's actions. Vibrant photographic displays with

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

clear labelling celebrate children's achievements, such as the vast range of sensory experiences they enjoy including melted marshmallows, cloud dough and balloons.

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

Staff are meticulous at maintaining hygienic practices. When changing children's nappies staff are respectful and explain to the children what they are doing. Staff wear disposable aprons and gloves for each child and ensure that the mat is sterilised after use. Staff consistently remind children to wash their hands before eating and cooking activities giving them clear explanations so that they begin to understand why it is important. Staff routinely meet children's health requirements. They establish detailed individual health care plans with parents and they regularly review these to ensure continuity in practice. At each session the child attends health care plans are discussed so that all staff and volunteers are clear on expectations to comprehensively support each child's needs. All staff receive relevant training to enable children's individual needs to be successfully met.

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provision

Staff working directly with the children implement the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage very well. Children's safety and well- being is a high priority. The premises are very secure and adults require a swipe card to enter the building to help keep children safe. A member of staff greets those entering the premises consistently. Staff supervise visitors at all times and are they are required to wear a badge to identify them, as part of the group's routine safeguarding measures. Vigilant staff ensure that play spaces are adapted and exceptionally well organised to include all children. The indoor and outside environments are thoroughly risk assessed and extensive daily checks ensure that they fully meet children's individual needs. There are rigorous procedures in place to enable suitably qualified and vetted staff to work directly with the children. There is excellent support and guidance for knowledgeable volunteers

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provision

who play a crucial role in enhancing children's experiences. All staff have very good understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children through regular and ongoing training. Staff are very clear on the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child in their care. They work cohesively with key agencies to safeguard children.

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provision

Staff have excellent knowledge of the children in their care through a robust system of observation, planning and assessment. This includes all partners in children's care, learning and development. Therefore, children make excellent progress from their starting points both at the setting and at other early years provisions, where children are effectively supported through outreach provision. Comprehensive information and detailed policies and procedures are readily available to parents in their newly developed meeting room. Staff have developed exceptionally positive relationships with parents, which thoroughly supports continuity in children's care, learning and development. Staff use home visits exceptionally well to gain initial information about the children before they attend and throughout their attendance at the provision. Parents comment favourably about this process and feel that their children are

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provision

in excellent hands as the key person provides individualised care to meet children's needs successfully. Parents consistently provide information on children's achievements at home to support the planning process. There is highly productive and reflective multi agency working to support children thoroughly at the group and to provide a smooth move to school and other early years settings.

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provision

Inspirational management of the provision empowers staff to maintain the highest levels of achievement for all children from their starting points. There is an excellent programme for professional development, through highly productive supervision and appraisal, which ensures that dedicated staff continually improve their already first class practice. Staff are proactive in accessing specific courses to support their key children's individual needs, such as sign language, tube feeding and 'switch' therapy and work highly effectively with other agencies. All staff, parents and children are involved in the self-evaluation process to drive improvement successfully. Self-evaluation is highly reflective and staff use this productively to establish detailed and well-targeted action plans for future development. In particular to assess children's attainment so that the educational programmes can be continually improved and to enhance staff's knowledge through effective training. This

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provision

demonstrates a highly successful drive to improve the outcomes for children through exemplary practice.

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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 EY337966 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 827436 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 33 Name of provider Springboard Opportunity Group Date of previous inspection 18/01/2010 Telephone number 01934 426165

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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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