WASPS Out of School Club

WASPS Out of School Club Standon & Puckeridge Community Centre, Station Road, STANDON, Herts, SG11 1TF

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18/02/2014 26/04/2010

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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

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This provision is good

 A wide range of activities and resources are provided to meet individual children's interests and promote all areas of learning, especially opportunities for children to develop their various physical skills both indoors and outside.  Effective teaching strategies are used to support and extend children's language and communication. As a result, children show high levels of confidence in talking to adults and expressing their views and needs.  Children demonstrate a strong understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. Staff provide them with opportunities to carry out their own risk assessments and they discuss the safety measures put in place.  The mixed age groups attending the club play well together and this has a positive impact on behaviour. Staff support children well in managing their behaviour and children's self-esteem is encouraged as they are able to earn stickers for their chart.

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This provision is good

 Partnerships with parents are well-established and make a strong contribution to meeting the needs of all children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 There is scope to extend the links with other early years settings that children attend in order to convey further information concerning the children's learning and development and to fully support children in their daily transitions from nursery, to school or onto the club.

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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 main room and talked with the staff.  The inspector viewed the areas of the premises and field used by the children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's assessment records, planning documentation, evidence of suitability of staff, and a range of other documentation, including the safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents, as recorded in written questionnaires and spoke to one parent.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector reviewed the self-evaluation form as provided online prior to inspection.

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Information about the setting

WASPS out of school club was registered in 2010 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a community centre in Puckeridge, Hertfordshire and is owned and managed privately. The group serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from the main hall and another room and there is a large field available for outdoor play. The nursery employs six members of child care staff including the manager. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, 3 and 4.

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Information about the setting

The club is open Monday to Friday during term time. Sessions are from 2.15pm until 6.15pm with a breakfast club open from 7.45am until 8.50am. The group also runs a holiday play scheme during some school holidays with sessions from 8am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 16 children attending who are in the early years age group.

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

 enhance the systems for sharing assessments and information with other early years settings in order to further promote the continuity of learning and development for children in the early years age group, especially during their transitions from nursery, school and onto the club.

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who attend

Children enjoy a good range of learning experiences that reflect their individual needs and interests, capturing their attention and imagination. Staff ensure that all the areas of learning are incorporated into the wide selection of activities and resources provided. Planned activities are generally based on the children's interests and staff's observations of what the children enjoy doing. Some next steps identified through assessment are used to inform planning. For example, developing children's counting by singing number rhymes on the walk back from school or playing games such as, 'what's the time Mr. Wolf', using a 24 hour clock. Children also have great input into the planning as they hold their own meetings to discuss ideas and suggestions of what they would like to do and the manager acts on this feedback. For example, the children decide that they would like a disco and so design their own poster advertising this and staff set up the music with a list of songs they

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who attend

want to play. Early years children are observed and the observations are used to assess their learning, ensuring that they are making progress towards the early learning goals. However, limited information about children's learning is shared between the club and other early years settings, the children attend. This means that the setting is not fully supported in consistently consolidating and extending children's learning. Parents are provided with lots of information about the Statutory framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage before they start. They are encouraged to complete an 'all about me' sheet, which staff use to determine children's starting points. Parents are encouraged to share what their children do and enjoy at home, and this is used to contribute to the planning. For example, bringing pictures in of children cooking has led to staff setting up a 'cook off', with children eating the meal made for snack.

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who attend

The environment is warm and welcoming, enabling children to feel secure, happy and confident to express themselves. The children make their own choices as they access the activities and resources available. They chat to staff and one another about the play dough models they are making and use new vocabulary to talk about the volcanoes some children make. Children are focused and engaged in the activities available and staff deploy themselves well, sensitively intervening in children's play when they need support. For example, younger children stand to the side, watching the others as they play volleyball. A member of staff gets out some more bats and balls, encouraging them to set up their own game. This demonstrates that staff respond well, supporting children when needed and extending children's learning through play. Staff build on children's skills. For example, one young child is praised for their drawing and writing of the number five and

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who attend

this is extended as a member of staff asks the child what facial features their mother has, encouraging the child to add these to their picture. In talking about their family, staff ask the child the age of their brother and encourage the child to write the number three also, drawing it first for the child to copy, when the child was unsure.

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who attend

Effective teaching strategies are used to support children's language and confidence in speaking out. For example, children are encouraged to feedback to their peers in group time, either talking about how they have risk assessed the outside area to make it safe or reminding children to use good manners as they serve snack. As a result, children are confident in talking to one another and staff, expressing their needs and interests. Children take part in a range of craft activities such as making play dough and handprints, where they use various tools. For example, children notice that the pencils are 'pointy' and follow instructions carefully, to turn the lever sharpening their own pencils efficiently. They are competent in reading the scales as they weigh out ingredients and use maths language to describe the weighing, estimating if they need more or less. Children enjoy using the digital camera and then printing their photographs off and this has resulted in

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who attend

older children asking for their own learning journeys. Consequently, children effectively develop the skills that prepare them for the next stage in their learning.

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

The setting provides a well-resourced and welcoming environment for children both indoors and outside. Children's views and ideas are sought and input very much into the planning of activities. Therefore, children's interests are effectively catered for. Children are able to display their models to show their parents at collection. This helps them to gain a sense of belonging within the setting and to feel valued. Children develop warm trusting relationships with their key person and other staff, which promotes their well- being and independence. Older and younger children mix well together and close friendships are being built. For example, the older children encourage the younger children on their team as they play volleyball. Several teenage children come back to the club to volunteer and the children enjoy their company, sometimes recognising them from when they used to attend the after school club. Children behave well because staff are

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

good role models. Gentle reminders and careful explanations support the children in understanding why behaviour is unacceptable and what the possible consequences might be. Children are motivated to earn stickers for their chart. The children display high levels of confidence, expressing their views and interests and readily asking questions of adults. They are able to request certain activities and find their own resources from the main cupboard.

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

Children are developing a strong awareness of keeping safe as they take responsibility for completing their own risk assessments of the equipment, such as any broken toys or as they check the field outside for hazards. Children are encouraged to find ways to minimise these hazards, for example, putting cones over the holes in the field where the goalposts have been removed and then explaining this to the other children. At group times, staff lead discussions on road safety and children come up with suggestions on how the walk to and from school could be improved with regards to safety, for example, when they needed to take a different route due to flood damage. Clear information about health and dietary needs is obtained to ensure that individual children's care needs can be met. Breakfast and afternoon snack time are sociable occasions, where staff sit with the children. Independence is encouraged with children being 'table monitors', responsible for serving

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

the children on their table. Children confidently pour their own drinks and spread butter on bread. Staff use this opportunity to develop children's awareness of which foods are healthy and why. For example, while making play dough, children comment that salt is bad for you. Children are able to effectively manage their own personal needs relative to their age, for example, using the toilet independently and using anti-bacterial gel to clean their hands. Children benefit from opportunities to run around and play outside on a daily basis as they walk back from school, go on nature walks, use climbing apparatus in the park or use various equipment taken out onto the field. The club also provides lots of opportunities for children to practise their physical skills indoors, such as volleyball, dancing and using bats and balls. Children are becoming aware of the effect of physical exercise on the bodies as they are reminded to have regular drinks throughout.

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

Staff provide appropriate support for children to help with their transitions to and from school. For example, introducing the idea of having a special key ring on their book bag so that if children feel tearful at the club, they have a connection with home. However,full support is not given to children for all the different transfers they encounter, from nursery to school, dancing class to the after school club. For example, staff were initially unaware some children found the after school club routine unfamiliar, having previously attended a day nursery and therefore, these children took longer to settle.

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provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are well-implemented. All practitioners have received basic safeguarding training and regular discussions at staff meetings ensure that they have a good understanding of the process to follow should they have any concerns about a child in their care. There are robust recruitment and induction procedures in place to ensure that all practitioners and volunteers are suitable to work with children. Comprehensive risk assessments and daily safety checks ensure that the setting is safe and any hazards are removed or minimised. Children are able to access all areas of the provision freely because good staff deployment ensures that constant supervision and support is provided. There are secure systems in place for the safe collection of children from other schools, such as risk assessments for the routes used. Children are protected as the safeguarding and welfare requirements are understood and met by all staff.

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provision

The manager has recruited a committed staff team who are mostly well-qualified and experienced. They use a communication book to convey information between one another and meet regularly to discuss planning needs. This ensures that the club can provide activities that interest the children and complements their learning in school. Consequently, children's progress towards the early learning goals is well-supported. Professional development is supported well through regular appraisals and supervision meetings and parents and children are asked for feedback on individual staff members. These appraisals are valuable in helping staff identify their own training needs and areas they can improve their performance. The manager states that her own professional development has helped her to review and adapt the assessment processes. This supports her in meeting the Statutory framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and

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provision

development requirements as well as maintaining the principles of playwork in out of school care. Staff have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision which they discuss regularly at meetings and the regular audits that they complete on aspects of this highlight actions to be taken. The views of children and parents are sought and used to develop well-targeted plans for improvement of the setting overall. The setting receives support from the local authority after school care coordinator and other out of school organisations.

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provision

The manager has worked hard to establish links between the club and the schools and pre-school. For example, she visited an older child with special educational needs at school. The manager was able to shadow the teaching assistant and the communication techniques she used, in order to mirror these at the club. However, limited information about young children's learning and development is shared between the various settings and the club. Therefore, continuity of children's learning and development is not fully promoted. Parents indicate they are very pleased with the quality of the provision and the club's flexible approach in providing further wraparound care, for example, the introduction of a holiday play scheme and collecting children from pre-school earlier. The noticeboard displays a wealth of information for parents and children and regular newsletters and website all contribute to a positive partnership with 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. 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

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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.

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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 EY345025 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 873422

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 68 Name of provider Nicola Jayne English Date of previous inspection 26/04/2010 Telephone number 07904 391133

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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

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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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