Grange Link Club

The Grange Link Club The Grange School, Latham Avenue, RUNCORN, Cheshire, WA7 5DX

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 07/07/2014 03/10/2013

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 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 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

p.1

This provision is good

 Children are confident communicators who enjoy sharing their thoughts and ideas with visitors and staff, consequently, staff get to know them very well and children form strong attachments to them.  Children are safe because the manager has recently updated her safeguarding training and staff teach them to play safely and have a good understanding of how to protect children from harm.  Children continue to make good progress in their learning because staff are very good teachers and offer activities that complement those taught in school.  Parents are kept well informed about their children's progress and the day-to-day activities they have enjoyed. They speak highly of the club and say their children enjoy playing with friends from different year groups which helps them feel confident as they move through the school.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not always able to make a healthy choice of snack as fresh fruit or vegetables are not always offered alongside a sweet treat.  There is room to improve the existing, supportive supervision of staff by adding specific targets and a sharper focus to help them develop their good practice even further.

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 spoke to children and their parents and examined children's learning records and enrolment forms.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager and staff as appropriate during observations and checked organisational documents, such as training certificates, risk assessments and the safeguarding policy.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the staff and children during indoor and outdoor play and at snack time.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the practitioners working with the children and discussed the manager's self-evaluation and future plans.

p.2

Information about the setting

The Grange Link Club was registered in 2013 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in The Grange School in Runcorn and operates from a large hall. It is owned and managed by an individual. The club serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. The club employs five members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and two are currently working towards a qualification. The club is open Monday to Friday, all year round, except bank holidays and a week at Christmas. During term time, sessions are from 8am until 9am and 3pm until 6pm and during the school holidays from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently five children attending who are in the early years age group.

p.3

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

 review the snack menu to ensure that children continue to learn about healthy eating through offering a choice of healthy options, such as fresh fruit

p.3

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

 develop further staff supervision and appraisals to provide a sharp focus on continual improvement of the already good teaching skills, for the benefit of children's development and learning.

p.3

who attend

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to promote children's learning and development. The environment successfully gives young children the opportunity to make expected progress towards the early learning goals. An effective settling-in procedure includes staff discussing children's interests and capabilities with parents. Consequently, staff can provide experiences which offer good challenge to children and build on their current achievements. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have individual files, which include observations and examples of their artwork linked to the areas of learning. These are routinely shared with parents. Staff effectively evaluate activities to inform future planning, they observe younger children closely, plan appropriate next steps for their learning and monitor their progress each term.

p.3

who attend

Staff provide a variety of well-planned and spontaneous experiences to promote all seven areas of learning. When children play a word game, staff teach them to recognise words and letters by spelling them and sounding out individual letters. Colouring-in sheets and flash cards complement the phonics scheme used in the school and children practise writing and reading the high frequency words they learn in reception class. As a result, children continue to make good progress in literacy. Children's creativity is effectively nurtured. For example, they enjoy making seasonal art and craft items, such as bonfire night pictures and Chinese New Year lanterns. They dress up, build dens and make models. Consequently, they express themselves freely and use their imaginations well. Staff teach children effectively through demonstration and asking open-ended questions to help them think. For example, children enjoy a game of '20 questions' using props; they

p.3

who attend

ask lots of 'yes' and 'no' questions and staff give helpful hints to encourage them. For example, when a child asks 'does my animal live in a house?' another child answers 'yes'. Staff then joke 'only if it's a very unusual underwater house' as the animal in question is a seahorse. This helps children of different ages and abilities to play together in a fun way while developing their thinking skills. Photographs of children, playing with water balloons, parachutes, growing vegetables and playing team games outdoors, show the wider range of activities children have the opportunity to engage in during the holidays.

p.4

who attend

Friendly partnerships have been developed with parents. Staff speak to them on a daily basis and describe the activities the children have been involved in. Parents comment on the support their children have had from staff and how much they enjoy the club. They are very pleased with the progress their children have made, the relationships they have formed and the liaison with the school. Consequently, the partnership between the school, the club and parents effectively supports children's learning.

p.4

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

Children initially visit the club with their parents and then are offered taster sessions to help them settle in. Parents or children complete a 'This is me' booklet, detailing children likes, dislikes and unique needs. This ensures children are well supported during the transition into the club. The key-person system is very effectively implemented. Consequently, children feel a strong sense of belonging and have built secure attachments. Children are happy and confident as a result of staffs' praise and support. Children comment 'the staff are very kind, they never leave you on your own, they always play with you'. Staff demonstrate a consistent, calm and positive attitude to managing children's behaviour. Consequently, children behave well, they are polite and considerate of each other, taking turns and cooperating well in their activities. The club supports all children's care needs well and provides a welcoming and inclusive environment. Children

p.4

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

say they enjoy playing with their friends and like being able to get to know children from different year groups. They comment 'it's good when you move playgrounds because you already know other children who are in the new playground'. The staff are well known to the children because most also work as lunchtime supervisors in the school. The well- established partnership with the school supports children successfully during times of transition within the school and provides them with good consistency in their care.

p.4

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

A wide range of resources is available for children to use. Staff have thought carefully about how to promote children's free choice and independence, and consequently, time and space are organised well to enable children to gain the most from the activities provided. Children can access the outdoors at any time and enjoy playing games outside with each other and staff. During holiday times staff take the children on various outings, some designed to challenge them and encourage them to take acceptable risks. For example, children enjoy climbing activities supervised by specialist trainers; they wear harnesses and climb trees. As a result, their sense of achievement encourages a 'have a go' attitude which supports their continued learning at school.

p.4

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

A small number of children attend from other schools and staff take the opportunity on the walk to the club to reinforce safety messages. They point out where to cross the road safely, using the crossing and remind children not to walk too far ahead. On outings, children are taught to approach a staff member from the venue for help, should they become separated from the group. Consequently, children are taught how to keep themselves safe. Children learn about healthy eating when they grow a wide range of seasonal vegetables and take part in a 'healthy eating week'. Children have a choice of water or juice to drink. However, the snack offered does not always include a healthy option, such as fresh fruit so children cannot make a healthy choice of what to eat. Children manage their personal care well, as they independently wash their hands after using the toilet and apply antibacterial hand gel before eating.

p.5

provision

Staff have good knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe from harm. They can discuss the signs and symptoms of abuse and the course of action they would follow if they had any concerns regarding children's welfare or the conduct of staff. The manager has attended recent safeguarding training. All staff complete an annual declaration of their continuing suitability to work with children and have the appropriate checks in place. This, together with their current first-aid certificates and daily risk assessments of the premises, means that children are kept safe while attending the club.

p.5

provision

The staff group is well established and all the staff work hard to provide good quality care and learning opportunities. Activities are monitored to ensure they meet the needs and interests of the children. They are planned to support the development of those in the early years age group. All the staff are experienced practitioners and have excellent relationships with the children. The small staff team discuss their plans and share any concerns on a daily basis, as they set up the activities before children arrive. The manager monitors staff performance informally through discussion and observation of practice. Regular training opportunities are offered to enable staff to continuously support individual children. However, formal staff supervision and appraisals, with specific targets to promote professional development are not yet fully embedded. Despite this, the standard of teaching is very good and children's emotional needs are very well met.

p.5

provision

Children are consulted through discussions. For example, children say that when they ask for specific toys or resources, the manager buys them and if someone does not like the food on offer, staff will make them something they do like instead. There are plans to move the club into a separate building within the school grounds later in the year. The manager and staff have lots of ideas to develop the new space. For example, they are keen to re-establish an allotment and use the large kitchen to offer cooking activities to children. Parents are consulted on a regular basis to ensure their needs and views are included in the self-evaluation. They make very positive comments about the care their children receive. Those spoken to during the inspection are very confident their children are safe and comfortable in the link club. The children themselves are very happy, say they like the activities provided, and think the staff are very kind.

p.5

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

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. We re-inspect nurseries and pre-schools judged as requires improvement within 12 months of the date of 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

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be monitored and inspected again within six months of the date of this inspection. Met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met There were no children present at the time of the inspection. 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 EY460239 Local authority Halton Inspection number 979008 Type of provision Out of school provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 36 Name of provider Tracy Elizabeth Kay Date of previous inspection 03/10/2013 Telephone number 07984817350

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