St Bridget's Kids Club

St Bridget's Kids Club (Acorns and After School Club) St Bridget's C of E School, Brigham, COCKERMOUTH, Cumbria, CA13 0TU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 05/03/2014 11/06/2009

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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

 Staff warmly welcome children into this friendly pre-school and out of school club. Children form strong bonds with their key persons who support their emotional well- being.  Very strong partnerships between staff, parents, teachers and external agencies ensure that children with additional needs receive high quality, consistent support.  The quality of teaching is good because staff provide a wide range of stimulating and challenging activities and resources, which interest and motivate children's learning.  Managers and staff are clear about the safeguarding and welfare requirements and are extremely vigilant, which ensures that children remain safe and secure throughout the day.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 On ocassion, children do not have enough thinking time to put their thoughts into words when staff ask them questions, which does not fully support their communication and language skills.  Arrangements are not fully embedded to encourage all parents to contribute information about what their children are learning at home so that staff can take this into account when planning their activities and fully extend children's learning.

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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 conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed and spoke to children and staff undertaking activities in the classroom, the hall and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to and by reading a number of questionnaires.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's assessment records and planning documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of the staff, the self- evaluation and monitoring forms and policies and procedures.

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Information about the setting

St Bridget's Kids Club (Acorns and After School Club) was registered in 1997 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is run by a committee and operates from St Bridget's Primary School in Brigham, near to the town of Cockermouth, Cumbria. Children have use of the acorns nursery, classrooms, the school hall and an enclosed outdoor play area. It serves the local area and children who attend the school. The setting opens Monday to Friday during term times only. Pre- school sessions are from 12noon until 3pm. The out of school club runs from 7.50am until 9am and 3pm until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. There are currently 26 children attending who are in the early years age group. There are six members of staff who work directly with the children. All but one hold appropriate early years qualifications

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Information about the setting

at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 2. The manager also holds a higher level teaching assistant qualification. The setting receives support from the local authority early years advisor.

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

 consider how staff's already good teaching strategies can be improved, such as by asking children more open-ended questions and allowing them more time to respond, therefore, further supporting their communication and language skills

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

 increase the opportunities for all parents to contribute information about what children learn at home and make more use of this shared knowledge to plan together and think through ideas of how to move children forward even further in their learning.

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who attend

The quality of teaching is good because the staff group work hard together to ensure children have a broad range of learning opportunities to make good progress in all areas of their learning and development. Staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the seven areas of learning. Consequently, this enables them to observe and effectively assess and monitor children's progress over time. Staff record observations of children and use this information to inform planning based around children's interests and needs. Children's current interests and their individual areas of development are very clearly reflected in planning, which shows how well staff know the children. The assessment and tracking processes of the children are robust enough to enable each child's key person to successfully complete the progress check at age two years and identify any gaps in children's learning. This enables them to identify when early intervention is needed, so

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who attend

that children receive the appropriate support to meet their learning needs. Children confidently explore this small and homely environment and are well-supported by enthusiastic and friendly staff. They support children's learning well by talking to them as they play and joining in where appropriate. For example, staff teach children to develop very good skills in the use of computers. They are able to select their favourite programmes and use the mouse with accurate control. Staff also teach the children the importance of sharing and taking turns. For example, small groups of children play matching card games, which involves them turning cards over to make a matching pair. This promotes their concentration and memory skills, as well as learning different colours and shapes. Staff praise the children for their efforts.

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who attend

Staff support children's communication and language skills throughout the session by talking to them and encouraging them to join in singing and story times. They ask children appropriately challenging questions to make them think, problem solve and extend their vocabulary. However, on occasion, children are not given enough thinking time to put their thoughts into words when staff ask them questions. This sometimes does not fully promote their communication and language skills as much as possible. From a young age, children make marks in various ways. They use paints and brushes, pencils, crayons, felt- tips and chalks. This leads to them developing early writing skills as staff help them learn how to start to form recognisable letters, which leads to the oldest children writing their names. Children develop an appreciation of books and thoroughly enjoy listening to stories. This shows them that print has meaning and helps their listening and attention

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who attend

skills. When children take off their coats after playing outside, staff ask them to find their coat pegs and they spell out the letters of the children's name, which helps them to begin to recognise their names and the different sounds of the letters in their names. Overall, children's learning and development is in line with the expected developmental ranges for their age, given their starting points. As a result, they are obtaining the good skills, attitudes and dispositions they need to be ready for school or the next stage of learning. Older children attending the out of school club thoroughly enjoy choosing from a wide range of activities. They enjoy relaxing and unwinding with their friends after a busy day at school. Children develop good creative and imaginative skills as they design and decorate boxes and photo frames. They choose different shaped boxes, such as rectangular boxes and choose coloured paper to cut up and glue onto the boxes, using

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who attend

good hand to eye coordination and lots of patients. Other children enjoy relaxing on cosy cushions to listen to music and stories using head phones.

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who attend

Staff are working hard to ensure they include parents in their children's learning and keep them well informed about activities planned for the children by displaying this information on the parents' notice board. Staff encourage parents to share information about their children's learning and development by looking at their learning journeys and talking to their key persons on a regular basis. Staff are beginning to receive written comments and photos from some parents of what the children are learning at home and these are incorporated into children's learning journey records. However, arrangements are not fully embedded to encourage all parents to contribute this information for staff to use in their planning and make more use of this shared knowledge to plan together and think through ideas of how to move children forward even more in their learning.

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

Staff are caring towards children and treat them with respect and affection. This results in the warm, happy atmosphere, which nurtures children's emotional well-being. Settling-in visits help children get to know their new surroundings, the staff and other children prior to starting. This means that there is a smooth transition, which supports children to happily separate from their parents. Children are assigned a key person who they form close attachments to. Children show that they feel safe and secure because they confidently select their chosen activities, become engaged in their play and chat happily to their friends. This supports them in developing trusting relationships with children and adults. Children are supported well as staff help them learn how to manage their own behaviour and become tolerant of others, for example, sharing and waiting their turn when playing games. Staff talk to children in a calm manner, explaining how to behave.

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

They give lots of praise to develop children's self-esteem when children do well, such as tidying their plates away after eating their snacks. Children learn how to be safe in a variety of ways. Staff give timely reminders about not running indoors and explain that it is better to run outside where there is more space. Also, staff explain that it is important to mop up spilt water so that they do not slip on the wet floor. Staff teach children how to use scissors carefully and safely.

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

Staff provide a very stimulating environment for children. The outdoor environment is well resourced with a wide range of good quality equipment and activities, which promote children's physical development and coordination. Children are frequently asked by staff if they would like to play outside. Management ensure that there is sufficient staff working with the children, so that those that want to stay inside do so while those that want to play outside are supervised appropriately. Children learn about good hygiene routines as they are reminded to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Staff help children to learn self-care skills by showing them how to put on their coats and fasten their zips. This supports children's growing independence as they do things for themselves. Children's good health is promoted really well through sensible routines and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. They are provided with a range of freshly prepared,

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

nutritious snacks, including different fruits. This helps children to learn about healthy eating. The children's transitions to nursery and school are well planned and children receive very good support from their key persons who liaise very closely with the nursery teachers within the school. Records of children's abilities are shared and discussed to aid them in the transitions.

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provision

The pre-school and out of school club is led by an enthusiastic manager who is genuinely committed to providing high quality care and education for children. All staff understand their roles and responsibilities to protect children. They are vigilant regarding child safety and security and are proactive to minimise potential hazards, enabling children to explore safely and freely. Excellent adult to child ratios are maintained and staff are very well deployed, ensuring that children are well supported in their play and learning. Recruitment procedures are robust and all staff undergo checks to ensure they are safe and suitable to work with children. They are all required to complete key courses, such as safeguarding and first aid training and are clear about what to do in these situations. Staff cascade their training to other staff, so everyone benefits from shared ideas and practice. New staff benefit from an induction, which ensures they are quickly aware of the routines, policies

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provision

and procedures. Regular supervision meetings and annual appraisals are held with the manager to discuss staff's strengths and weaknesses in practice and to identify any training needs. This means that their ongoing suitability is closely monitored.

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provision

Documentation for the safe and effective management of the setting is very well organised, regularly reviewed and updated to take account of revised legislation and best practice. This ensures children's safety and well-being is effectively promoted. The manager ensures that ratios are well maintained at all times, effectively supporting the safety and security of all children. The manager and staff undertake regular self-evaluation to identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. Feedback is sought from parents through the comments they provide in questionnaires. This shows that the manager and staff are able to continuously improve the care and learning for the children. Recommendations raised at the last inspection regarding self-evaluation and observation and assessment processes have been successfully implemented. This has resulted in the development of good monitoring of children's overall progress in their learning and

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provision

development. The manager works very closely with staff. She reviews the tracking sheets that staff complete for their key children, which helps them to identify if there are any delays or gaps in children's development that need to be addressed, such as speech or hearing difficulties that require additional support.

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provision

Extremely strong partnership working with staff at the school and other education and health professionals ensure that children's needs are fully identified and met. Very positive and trusting partnerships are established with parents and daily verbal dialogue is encouraged. Parents can view detailed notice boards and displays to gain information about their children's progress. Parents' comments received during the inspection are very positive. They state that they are kept well informed about their children's well-being and progress and they highly recommend the setting to other parents.

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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 317449 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 819066

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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 26 Name of provider St Bridget's Kids Club Committee Date of previous inspection 11/06/2009 Telephone number 01900 325 936

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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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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