Childcare @ St Swithun's

Childcare @ St Swithun's St. Swithuns Community Centre, Arncliffe Road, WAKEFIELD, West Yorkshire, WF1 4RR

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/05/2014 09/09/2013

p.1

early years provision

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

p.1

This provision is inadequate

 Children are not fully safeguarded because staff are not deployed effectively during children's arrival and departure. As a result, two children left the nursery unnoticed, which means children's sense of feeling safe is misplaced and their safety has been compromised.  Staff do not have clearly defined roles to ensure children's safety as they arrive at and depart from the nursery. As a result, the procedure during these key times has failed to ensure children's safety.  Risk assessments are not robust enough. They do not determine where it is helpful to make some written risk assessments in relation to specific issues, such as staff deployment during the arrival and collection of children, in order to inform staff practice.  Some children are not assigned a key person when they start attending the setting. As a result, their parents/carers are not informed of the name of their child's key person or

p.1

This provision is inadequate

their role. Consequently, they are not highly involved in their children's learning from the point of entry.

p.1

It has the following strengths

 Staff make effective use of open-ended questions, they model thinking out loud and follow children's interests. As a result, children remain motivated and interested in learning through their effective teaching.  Staff have clear expectations for good behaviour. As a result, children are well behaved.

p.1

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

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the arrival and collection of children.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector looked at children's assessment records and planning documentation.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and the provider's improvement plan.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager, held discussions with children and observed activities in the playroom and the outside play area.

p.2

Information about the setting

Childcare @ St Swithun's was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in purpose- built premises within St Swithun's Community Centre, in the Eastmoor area of Wakefield. It is one of a number of provisions run by St George Lupset Limited and is committee run by voluntary directors and people from the community. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from one room and there is an enclosed area available for outdoor play. The nursery employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above. The nursery opens Monday to Friday during term time only. Opening hours are from 9am until 12pm and 1pm until 4pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 39 children on roll who are in the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for

p.3

Information about the setting

two-, three- and four-year-olds. It supportschildren who speak English as an additional language.

p.3

must:

 deploy staff effectively to ensure children's safety, inform parents and/or carers about staff deployment, and when relevant and practical, aim to involve them in these decisions. Children must always be within sight or hearing

p.3

must:

 assess any risks to children's safety, review risk assessments and determine where it is helpful to make written risk assessments in relation to specific issues to inform staff practice, and to demonstrate how they are managing risks if asked by parents and/or carers or inspectors

p.3

must:

 ensure that all staff receive training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities, with particular regard to their duties in ensuring children's safety at times of arrival and departure

p.3

must:

 improve the key-person system by ensuring each child is assigned a key person when they start attending, and that parents/carers are informed of the name of their child's key person and their role

p.3

must:

 improve partnership working with parents so they have more opportunities to be involved in their children's learning, by encouraging them to share their views about children's starting points at entry.

p.3

who attend

Staff make good use of supporting guidance to correctly identify what children can do and plan for their next steps in learning. Staff understand how children learn and they are observed to recognise when children need support and guidance. They use open-ended questions, think about problems out loud and time their interventions well. Staff encourage children to talk about what they are doing. For example, during a craft activity staff show an interest in what they are creating and children respond by explaining they are making a flower. Staff extend their learning as they encourage them to describe the different parts of the flower. Children help themselves to scissors and begin to cut around the centre of the flower. As they struggle, staff encourage them to consider if the task would be easier with a smaller pair of scissors. Staff are teaching children to recognise and write the letters of their name and extend this by encouraging them to mark their own

p.4

who attend

work. As a result, staff continue to develop children's skills in communication and language, literacy, physical development, creative arts and design and understanding of the world. Staff acknowledge the work children do and this builds on their sense of achievement.

p.4

who attend

The environment is used effectively to accommodate the different ages and stages of development. Children are provided with a good range of resources and activities that are developmentally appropriate and promote their interest in all areas of learning. For example, children are able to independently select books, role play equipment and construction pieces. Craft activities are well planned and offer children a range of materials to work with. This promotes children's imagination and interest in being creative. Small world equipment, such as garages, cars and animals, and role play areas that are set up as cafes and shops effectively promote children's interest in the wider world.

p.4

who attend

Partnerships with parents require improvement. Some parents are not aware of who their child's key person is and some parents have discussed their concern at the lack of information about what their children are doing. Additionally, parents are not encouraged to share detailed information about their children's starting points on entry to the setting. As a result, they are not highly involved in their children's learning. Consequently, children do not make the best progress they can. There is a system in place to ensure the completion of children's progress check at age two. This ensures that any gaps in learning will be identified and shared with other professionals, such as their health visitor. However, this has not been required to date. Therefore, the impact of sharing this information is not measurable.

p.4

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

Staff have clear expectations for good behaviour. As a result, children are learning right from wrong and they are well behaved, friendly and polite towards each other. Children enjoy the responsibility of carrying out small tasks, such as helping to tidy up before snack time. Children are reminded how to use equipment, such as scissors, safely. As a result, they are learning how to keep themselves and others safe when they are using tools. However, staff deployment is not effective to keep children safe. As a result, children's sense of feeling safe is misplaced and their safety is compromised.

p.4

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

Staff ensure that all dietary needs are met effectively through information provided by parents. Small snacks are provided and generally include fresh fruit, vegetables, water and milk. Children are able to help themselves to a drink of water when they are thirsty. As a result, children learn how to eat and drink healthily. Children who are infectious are excluded in order to protect others. Staff teach children about the importance of good hygiene practice and constantly remind them that they are washing the germs away.

p.5

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

Parents are offered a settling-in period that encourages them to visit with their children before their placement starts. This allows time for children to become familiar with their new environment and build a relationship with the staff. This helps with their transition from home to the setting. The key-person system is not fully embedded because children are not consistently provided with a named key person from when they start attending. As a result, their emotional well-being is not fully promoted.

p.5

provision

The inspection was brought forward by Ofsted following a concern that a child had left the setting unnoticed. During the inspection it was found that staff had failed to prevent two children from leaving the nursery unnoticed, one of whom they were not aware of until the incident was discussed during the inspection. As a result, children were not safeguarded and the children's safety was put at risk. The nursery has a procedure with regard to managing the arrival and departure of children, but there are no clear and defined roles and responsibilities with regard to ensuring children's safety, in particular at times children are collected. As a result, children's arrival and departure during these key times were not managed effectively. These significant weaknesses in practice are breaches of requirements of the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register. Following the incident that staff are aware of, leadership and management have begun to carry out

p.5

provision

an investigation. However, this is not fully complete and it has failed to act on information received from a third party about a second child leaving the nursery unnoticed. The action to date has involved a review of risk assessments, the layout of the nursery being adapted and staff being deployed more effectively. This is a positive move towards ensuring the safety of children. However, parents have not been informed of why these changes have taken place. As a result, partnerships with parents are not good enough. Staff demonstrate a sound understanding of child protection in regard to implementing appropriate procedures in order to protect children from abuse. Recruitment procedures are sound and ensure that adults working with children are suitable to do so. Leadership and management understand the responsibility to ensure that Ofsted are informed of any significant events or any allegations of serious harm.

p.5

provision

Leadership and management aspire to improve and understand their responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements. They monitor the systems staff use to observe, assess and plan for children's individual learning needs, to ensure that staff can identify any gaps in learning. There is an emphasis placed on developing children's communication and language skills, and staff have been provided training in letters and sounds. This has improved the educational programme for communication through activities that encourage children to become more interactive. For example, children, including those who speak English as an additional language, learn to sing songs that help them to introduce themselves to each other, and as they progress they take up the challenge of tongue twister games. As a result, children extend their skills in communication and language. The actions taken to overcome weakness are generally

p.5

provision

successful. For example, following the last inspection, improvements have been made to the educational programme for mathematics. Staff have introduced calculators in all areas, mobile telephones and number books to further promote children's interest in numbers. Staff are extending children's understanding of the reasons for good hygiene practice through discussion and role modelling how to wash hands thoroughly.

p.6

provision

Staff have developed a sound working partnership with other early years settings children attend. As a result, information about children's learning and development is shared. Staff are aware of the need to work closely with a wide range of professionals in order to support children and their families when they need it. All required documentation is in place. However, there is room to improve communication with parents and involve them more in decisions that affect their children's safety and well-being.

p.6

The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

actions)

The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are

p.6

To meet the requirements of the Childcare Register the provider must:

 ensure that a child is unable to leave the premises without a person who is caring for children on those premises becoming aware of the child leaving (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks; in particular the risk of children leaving the setting unnoticed (compulsory part of the Childcare Register)  ensure that a child is unable to leave the premises unsupervised, except where the child is aged eight or over and the parent of the child has agreed that they may leave the provision unaccompanied (voluntary part of the Childcare Register)  undertake a risk assessment and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks; in particular the risk of children leaving the setting unnoticed (voluntary part of the Childcare Register).

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

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.

p.8

Setting details

Unique reference number EY459409 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 973163 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 36 Number of children on roll 39 Name of provider St George's Lupset Ltd Date of previous inspection 09/09/2013 Telephone number 01924361212 Ext 240

p.8

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.

p.8

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.9

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,

p.9

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’.

p.10

Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10