Challengers Farnham

Challengers Farnham Playcentre 1 St. James Avenue, FARNHAM, Surrey, GU9 9QF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/03/2014 09/03/2009

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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

 Children are very well supported by staff and there are trusting relationships with parents and well-established links with other professionals. As a result children are fully included and thrive.  Staff present activities in an imaginative and stimulating way to fully engage and motivate children in their learning. Therefore children are making very good progress taking into account their starting points and capabilities.  Staff are highly motivated and work exceptionally well as a team creating a secure and safe learning environment for the children.  Staff complete comprehensive risk assessments and supervise children well to keep them safe.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children have regular access to the outdoor area but staff do not always provide resources and activities outdoors that encourage children to explore and enhance their imagination and interest in the natural world.

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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 a tour of the nursery with the playgroup leader.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held discussions with the manager, playgroup leader, play leader and operational director.  The inspector held discussions with key persons and staff.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the early years children and after school children taking part in activities indoors and outdoors.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, risk assessments, staff training, records of children and evidence of the suitability of staff.

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Information about the setting

Challengers Farnham Playscheme is run by Disability Challengers and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It opened in 2008 and operates from a purpose-built building in Farnham, Surrey. There is excellent access to all areas of the provision. There are 207 children on roll in the pre- school and playscheme, of whom 28 children are in the early years age range. The pre- school operates Monday to Friday, term time only, from 9.30am to 12.30 pm. The pre- school is inclusive and both children with special educational needs and/or disables and non-able-bodied children attend. The after school club opens Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3.30pm to 6pm. The holiday play scheme operates from 9.30am to 4pm. All children share access to a secure and fully enclosed outdoor play area. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Challengers Farnham

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Information about the setting

Playscheme employs 76 staff on a full and part-time basis, of these one holds Early Years Professional Status, one holds Qualified Teacher Status and at least 11 others have a recognised early years childcare qualification.

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

 enhance children's explorations outdoors and their awareness of the natural world further, for example, by incorporating more varied and imaginative experiences outdoors.

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who attend

Staff are enthusiastic and eager to help all children settle into the playscheme. Children's key persons find out about their starting points through information shared by parents. They complete 'all about me' forms which record children's development achievements and care needs and then tailor planned activities to progress their learning. Staff carry out regular observations of children's learning and maintain 'learning journals' for all early years children. Assessment is precise, focused and ongoing and used to plan activities to progress children in all areas. Staff complete next steps on their key children and share these with parents to keep them fully involved with their child's learning and development. They also share with parents the progress checks for two-year-old children that they complete. Staff develop individual plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to fully support their learning in all areas. Staff have regular meeting with

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who attend

parents and outside agencies to ensure strategies in place are consistent in meeting the needs of all individual children. Parents also provide regular information on their child's interests and achievements. In this way the playscheme ensures they are using the information they have to help children make the most progress possible at home and at the setting.

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who attend

Staff provide an very good balance of adult-led and child-initiated experiences and support children to choose their own activities. Children are able to find the equipment they require and make independent choices from the wide selection available. For example, children make constructions alongside staff using their skills of imagination. Staff use children's interests to support critical thinking and language development showing an interest in their play. Children make very good progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities as they receive excellent support from dedicated staff who have a clear understanding of how they learn. Staff respect children and acknowledge and value what they say. All children, including those with special educational needs, thoroughly enjoy themselves learning through play. Children are confident learners who actively explore their environments and concentrate well as they engage in a wide variety of activities.

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who attend

Staff use all opportunities to teach children to learn and develop with strategies that have meaning to individual children. Children develop early writing skills as they make marks and engage in messy play. They explore texture with curiosity as they investigate sand in the outdoor environment. However staff do not always fully develop activities that help children to explore and develop their understanding of the natural world. For example through growing plants for themselves.

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

Children's happiness and well-being are a high priority for staff. Staff work as a team and are deployed well. They consistently communicate well to meet the diverse needs of the children and to ensure the individual needs of all children are met. Parents spend time with their child's key person at initial settling-in sessions to share in-depth information about their child's needs. Children have extremely positive relationships with staff and each other. As a result children behaviour well. Staff have robust behaviour management training and understand how to manage behaviour in a positive way. They encourage children to share resources and show care and consideration for each other. Staff listen to children and this helps them to identify and meet children's individual needs. Children can choose whether they play indoors or outdoors and can easily choose from a range of resources that promote their care and learning needs well.

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

Children are extremely well supported in developing an understanding of a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy fresh air in the outdoor environment. Children are supported in their physical development as they ride around on bicycles and develop skills of balance as they negotiate their way across tyres. As a result they learn how to manage risks and ensure their own safety. Children of all ages have further opportunities to develop their physical development as they use the indoor soft play area to help them develop healthy bodies and develop their coordination. For example, as they use a range of movements to climb over, under and around the play equipment.

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

Children have a variety of healthy snacks to suit their particular dietary requirements. Pre- school children are provided with nutritious fruit and after-school children are provided with a cooked meal. Independence and self-help skills are supported as children are encouraged to feed themselves and pour their own drinks. Children follow routine hygiene practice as they wash their hands before eating. Staff actively help children to develop their skills in readiness for their next stage of learning. Partnership with parents and other agencies involved with children's care and education are robust and effective. This promotes a joined up approach to meeting children's individual needs. Where children have an identified need, staff work with outside professionals, follow their advice and develop an individual care and educational plan to follow for the children. This ensures their individual needs are met appropriately, which enhances and supports their learning.

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

Children are supported well in their move to school. Staff have good working partnerships with the schools children will attend and they welcome teachers into the setting.

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provision

This inspection was brought forward following the provider notifying Ofsted that a child on the Childcare Register had broken their arm. The notification means that the provider met their legal responsibility as set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and Childcare Register requirements. However, they failed to notify Ofsted within 14 days of the accident occurring and this is an offence. We carried out an unannounced visit on 3rd December 2013 and the provider discussed how they had carried out a thorough investigation into the accident. They explained they had not notified local child protection agencies about the accident because it was still unclear whether the accident had occurred on the premises or elsewhere. However, it is a requirement to notify child protection agencies and Ofsted. In addition it was found that requirements for staff: child ratios were not being met. As a result of the accident the

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provision

provider carried out a risk assessment with staff and the child's parents. The provider described the steps that have been identified and taken to remove, minimise and manage future risks of injury. Following this visit we sent the provider a notices to improve linked to safeguarding and staff deployment.

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provision

At this inspection it was found that children are now appropriately safeguarded because the manager and staff have clear policies and procedures embedded within their practice. Staff have up-to-date safeguarding and child protection knowledge and this helps them to protect the children in their care. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children. In addition there is a comprehensive induction procedure in place to ensure staff are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Staff implement robust risk assessments and this contribute significantly to children's safety. For example there are now more thorough systems in place to ensure all areas used by children are safe. Staff complete additional training to ensure they are aware of how to manage individual children's behaviour and that they know how to move children and use their equipment appropriately. As a result,

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provision

children display a very good awareness of safety. They were found to be complying with the requirements as set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. The playscheme provides a welcoming environment which values and respects children and their parents. The manager and staff team fully understand their responsibilities to ensure they meet the requirements as set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff are professional, work well together and demonstrate an overwhelming enthusiasm for their role in supporting children's play, learning and development. Performance management is well managed throughout the play scheme and staff training needs are identified through effective supervision and appraisals to drive improvement in the nursery provision.

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provision

The manager has high expectations of the provision and there is an ongoing system of self-evaluation with a development and focus plans in place. For example, the manager and play leaders recognise the need to support children further in their understanding of information and communication technology to support their future life skills and are working to achieve this.. Views are sought at staff meetings and through ongoing discussions with children and parent questionnaires. There are established links with the advisory team within the local authority. For example, the setting seeks support to help them maintain quality and drive continual improvements. Parents speak highly of the staff and overall provision, they comment 'staff treat children as individuals', and are 'amazing.' Children with special education needs and/or disabilities are cared for very well. Staff work with parents very effectively to ensure that individual care and educational programmes

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provision

are efficiently met. Professionals from other agencies who support children and families are made welcome when they come to observe the children at play. They offer advice and support to the staff.

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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 EY369286 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 954761 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 207 Name of provider Disability Challengers Date of previous inspection 09/03/2009 Telephone number 01483 230930

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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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