Fun 4 Kids at Highwoods

Fun 4 Kids at Highwoods Highwoods Cp School, Tynedale Square, Highwoods, COLCHESTER, CO4 9SN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/06/2014 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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

 The quality of teaching is good and staff know how to engage the children in the activities and in meaningful conversations as they skilfully extend their play and learning.  Children's emotional well-being is supported well and they are very much involved in all aspects of the running of their club. Staff build strong trusting relationships with them and encourage the children's ideas and views, enabling them to take pride in and ownership of their club.  The manager and staff have a strong understanding of safeguarding procedures. They carry out thorough risk assessments of the premises to ensure children's safety and welfare are prioritised.  The manager and staff work as a close, supportive and highly motivated team as they strive to provide quality play and learning experiences for all children.  Staff work very closely with the parents and involve them in all aspects of the club. They regularly encourage their feedback to ensure that they meet to the needs of all

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not take every opportunity to find out about the children's capabilities in school to strengthen the already good partnerships and provide a consistent approach to their learning and development.

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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 activities in the club play room and the outdoor learning environment.  The inspector had a tour of the premises.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the managers of the provision, spoke to staff and interacted with the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff working within the setting, the provider's self- evaluation and a range of other documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of inspection.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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Information about the setting

Fun 4 Kids at Highwoods was registered in 2013 and is on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It operates from a demountable classroom on the Highwoods Community Primary School site in Colchester, Essex. It is managed by a private company. The out of school club serves the local area and the children have access to the school field and playground for outdoor play. There are currently 51 children on roll. The club supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The club is open Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 7am until 9am and from 3pm until 6.30pm. The holiday scheme operates from 7.30am until 6.15pm during school holidays and children attend for a variety of sessions. The club employs four members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications; the

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Information about the setting

manager at level 4, one member of staff at level 3 and one at level 2. One member of staff is waiting to start a level 2 qualification.

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

 strengthen opportunities to find out children's capabilities and interests within the school to foster closer partnership working and provide a more consistent approach to children's learning and development.

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who attend

Children are happy, confident and relaxed in the fun and stimulating play environment. They show high levels of involvement in the activities and learning experiences. The quality of teaching is consistently good. Staff engage them in meaningful conversations as they listen with interest to the children and share their own experiences with them. Staff encourage the children to expand on their ideas and to think for themselves. For example, when making sand pictures they decide that alternative glue may be more effective and children are able to test this out for themselves. Staff find out about the children's interests and abilities from the parents before they start. This helps them to plan appropriate activities for the children from the beginning. They make regular observations of children's play, which are assessed and used to plan activities and play experiences to engage their interests and to provide challenge. Developmental records are shared with

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who attend

the children, parents and with the teachers in the school. They have some opportunities to speak to the class teachers in the morning when they drop the children off. However, they have not fully explored all opportunities to find out about the children's learning and development within the school in order to provide a more consistent approach to each child's learning and development. Children are supported well to develop the skills and positive attitudes towards learning that are needed for their future move into Key Stage 1 and beyond. This is because staff give them plenty of scope to explore their environment freely and initiate their own learning. For example, children regularly ask staff to listen to them read, or help them with homework. They access resources, such as magnifying glasses and torches and hunt for bugs under the trees and try to identify them. Staff provide a wide range of different

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who attend

role-play experiences following the children's ideas. For example, children use clips, brushes, mirrors, hair straighteners, colouring tools and driers and the 'customers' choose their hair styles from those displayed on the wall or in magazines.

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who attend

Parents are involved in the club through a variety of ways. They receive a weekly newsletter, which is also emailed to them and put on the club's social network page. This ensures that they know the plans for each week and can contribute with their ideas, for example, by bringing in items, such as a police officer's hat, to enrich role-play. Staff work closely with parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure their individual needs are met. Staff also share dual language books with children who speak English as an additional language and they are able to take them home to share with their parents.

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

Staff are successful in creating a calm, child-oriented environment in which children feel very comfortable, safe and secure. The key person system has a positive impact on how children settle and make progress. Each key person gets to know their children well. Parents are encouraged to share important information with them relating to their child's preferences, care routines, individual needs and interests. Children feel secure in the routine and make informed choices of how they wish to spend their time. This is because staff bring them together for a short circle time at the beginning of the after-school session where they explain to them what is on offer. They introduce any visitors or new children and remind them of the topics, snack choices and activities.

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

Children learn how to keep themselves safe as they are taught how to carry large boxes of resources outside safely. They are included in the risk assessments for new activities to highlight their awareness of risk and potential hazards. For example, children came up with the idea of using a fork to help hold the small rubber bands they were using to make bracelets. Staff encouraged them to write a risk assessment and think about any potential dangers in using the fork. Children are involved in the making of the club rules and as a result, know their boundaries and what is expected of them. The older children set positive role models by being considerate and showing kindness to the younger ones. Group times are calm and children demonstrate respect by listening carefully to others. They club environment is relaxed, yet busy and purposeful, enabling children to play and have fun in a safe environment.

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

Children's health and well-being are promoted well. They have lots of opportunities to be physically active and develop their skills in climbing, balancing, kicking and throwing as they put the outdoor area to good use. They use the good quality climbing apparatus on the school grounds and proudly show off as they manage to move another rung along on the hanging bars. They carefully balance on the ropes and staff support them with positive encouragement to climb down themselves when they think they are stuck. Children enjoy playing football and staff encourage them to have mixed ages in their teams to enable all children to have a chance at being involved in the game. They are provided with healthy, balanced meals and snacks, which are freshly prepared by the children with the help of staff who are trained in food hygiene matters. Staff and children wear food preparation aprons and routinely wash their hands before they handle the food. Children are involved

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

in the menu choices and their ideas are included where possible. For example, curry is a new addition to dinner after a request from a child.

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provision

Staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm. They attend regular training in safeguarding children. Consequently, they are able to identify signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is being abused or neglected and are clear about how to follow up on concerns. The recruitment and induction of staff is robust, ensuring that all staff are suitable to work with children and have a secure understanding of the club's policies and procedures. Children are supervised at all times and experience good levels of direct support to meet their needs. The premises are safe and secure, children cannot leave unsupervised and unauthorised persons cannot gain access.

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provision

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are successfully supported by a well-qualified and experienced manager. Her commitment and support motivates and inspires the staff to regularly reflect on their practice. Peer observations have recently been introduced as an additional way to monitor the quality of teaching and to foster a culture of reflection and continuous improvement. Staff meet regularly and take an active part in supervision and appraisals to shape the provision and set targets. There are several plans in place to provide children with even more involvement in the shaping of their club. For example, staff make a catalogue of all resources for children to choose from, a cookery book of favourite tried and tested recipes and a book of outdoor team games to involve children of all ages and abilities.

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provision

Good relationships with the school, teachers and the head teacher enable the club to work in a successful partnership as they share the outdoor facilities. Parents speak highly of the club and state that their children have fun and love attending. They value the time that staff take to listen to children read and to support them with spelling and other homework. They report that their children take part in a wealth of exciting, stimulating activities, which they often do not stop talking about at home. Parents find the staff friendly and approachable and have full confidence in the high level of care and education provided for their children.

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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 EY472622 Local authority Essex Inspection number 950013 Type of provision Out of school provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 51 Name of provider Catherine Ellen Watkins Date of previous inspection not applicable Telephone number 01206 845887

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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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