LittleU PreSchool

LittleU Holiday Club Dickens Heath Primary School, Three Acres Lane, SOLIHULL, West Midlands, B90 1NA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/08/2014 25/08/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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 thoroughly enjoy attending the club because staff plan exciting activities that engage them. The skilful teaching by staff means there are a wide range of organised activities, which cater for all the children who attend.  Partnerships working between local schools, parents and other professionals are a key strength of the club. The in-depth sharing of information ensures staff use targeted strategies to meet all children's individual needs.  Children are safeguarded well due to staff's good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures. This ensures that children's welfare is effectively protected.  Staff are supportive of all children and respond appropriately to their individual needs. They interact positively with the children and build good relationships with them and their families to help them to feel secure.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children are not always routinely challenged to further develop their critical thinking skills.  Staff occasionally miss opportunities to reinforce children's awareness about good hygiene practices that contribute to their good health.

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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 playroom and the outside learning environment and carried out joint observations with the manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked a range of documentation including safeguarding procedures, staff details including suitability records and qualifications, risk assessments, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to children, students and members of the staff at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.

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Information about the setting

LittleU Holiday Club opened in 2007 and is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and the voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is privately owned and operates from Dickens Heath Primary School in Dickens Heath, near Solihull. The club has use of the school's early years facilities and accommodation, including an integral kitchen, cloakroom facilities and three outdoor play areas including the farm. It also has access to the school hall and its outdoor play facilities, including a large sports field. The provision has suitable facilities for disabled people, including easy access to the building via ramps. The club serves the local and surrounding areas. The club operates Monday to Friday for two weeks during school holidays. Sessions are from 8am to 6pm. There are currently 54 children on roll, 42 of whom are in the early years age range. Children attend a variety of sessions. The club employs a manager who holds a level 5 qualification and five other

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Information about the setting

staff, all of whom hold a minimum of a level 3 qualification. There are four students who regularly help out with the activities in the club.

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

 challenge children to develop their critical thinking skills further, for example, through a more considered use of open-ended questioning

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

 provide children with more consistent opportunities to develop their understanding of good hygiene practices, particularly after meal times.

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who attend

Children thoroughly enjoy attending the club where they happily engage with their peers in a safe and welcoming environment. Staff know children well and confidently talk about what they like to do and the progress they have made. Clear next steps in learning are identified and used to extend children's learning further. Staff gather comprehensive information from parents, schools and other professionals to find out about the children's likes, interests and skills. This cohesive approach means that staff have a clear understanding of children's starting points, ensuring their individual needs are very effectively met. Children are making good progress as a result. Thereafter, ongoing communications with parents, along with observation of children's progress, help staff to plan future activities to meet the learning needs and interests of the children. Partnerships with parents are very good. Staff value parents' knowledge about their children and the

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who attend

information they provide. Parents feel welcome in the club and find staff approachable. They share what they know about their children's interests and achievements at home, and feel well informed about what is happening on a daily basis.

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who attend

Staff have a very good understanding of the learning and development requirements within the Early Years Foundation Stage, and teaching is good. Children are happy and confident as they eagerly move around the club, making independent choices about what resources they would like to play with. The club has access to a large, well-resourced outside play area and a small, enclosed farm where children have opportunities to develop a wide range of skills. They develop their large scale muscle and coordination skills, as they build dens and use a variety of bicycles and scooters to move around the playground. In the farm, the children enjoy feeding the animals and learn to look after them. They count the chickens and the eggs. Staff plan activities outside, which are fun and exciting, for example, children take part in the sports day races, cheering on their peers and team mates. Less energetic activities, such as construction and role play are accessible in the

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who attend

main room. There are a range of activities to choose from, which are challenging for all the children attending. Activities are well planned and capture children's interests. For example, children take part in competitive cooking activities with staff. Consequently, children learn to follow recipes and develop a variety of foods, supporting their all-round development very well. Children are provided with opportunities to make marks and develop their early literacy skills further through opportunities for them to try out their emerging writing skills.

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who attend

Relationships with staff are very good and children confidently approach them to show their achievements, to discuss what they would like to play with and their personal requirements. Staff support children well in their play, joining in enthusiastically with energetic games, and also by interacting sensitively with quieter activities. Students are equally involved in supporting children's learning. For example, they help children to engage in a dance workshop where they learn to move their bodies to music and follow dance routines. This helps them to express themselves in an artistic way. Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively by listening carefully to what children say and responding to them appropriately. Staff do not always make best use of different strategies to challenge children's critical thinking further, for example by using open-ended questions. As a result, on occasions, discussions between staff and children

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who attend

lack enthusiasm and fail to fully ignite creativity. Children are confident to mix with peers of different ages and abilities and support each other in their play. Overall, there are very good learning opportunities available, which result in children being confident, positive and happy to attend.

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

Staff provide a well-resourced and welcoming environment, both indoors and outdoors, where children are happy and settled. There is a very friendly atmosphere where children happily play with their peers and with staff. This helps to promote children's well-being as they become immersed in the experiences available for them. Staff develop very effective relationships with parents, who are happy with the care given to their children. Staff are very good role models, as they are caring and respectful to children, which ensures their emotional needs are fully met. They encourage all children to take part, share and join in with both the planned and spontaneous play. All children respond quickly to staff when asked to help tidy away.

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

Children learn how to adopt a healthy lifestyle through everyday routines and planned activities. Children manage their own self-care needs and use the toilets independently. However, staff occasionally miss opportunities to reinforce children's awareness about good hygiene practices that contribute to their good health, in particular after meal times. This means that all children are not always aware of the importance of their own personal hygiene in making good choices about their own health. Children sit with their friends and the staff to have lunch. They thoroughly enjoy being outside. For example, children carefully make their way through bushes and a narrow path towards the camping area of the playing field, helped by the staff. As a result, they learn to take risks as they negotiate through small spaces towards the site and develop an understanding of team work. These activities allow children to learn skills that will help them to take part in new experiences

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

with confidence at school and later in life.

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

There is an effective key person system for children in the early years age group. This means that children feel secure in their care and are developing strong and positive relationships with the staff in the club. Staff have very positive relationships with parents, which promotes continuity in children's care. Parents' views about their child's care, including medical needs, are determined before children start. This enables staff to provide safe and consistent care. In addition, staff successfully work in partnership with local schools, which helps children make good progress in their learning and development. Children's behaviour is good; they are polite and have good social skills. Staff are good role models. Children are supported to develop their turn-taking skills as they wait patiently for their turn to feed the animals. As a result, children are aware of the boundaries set and the behavioural expectations of the club. Staff explain why children's

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

behaviour is not acceptable when appropriate. In this way, children's social development is enhanced and they are emotionally well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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provision

The manager and her team demonstrate a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements. They complete safeguarding training and ensure they have training on children's specific medical needs as part of their induction processes. Staff understand their responsibilities and how to keep the children safe from harm. There are clearly defined policies and procedures, which are understood by all staff, should they have a concern about a child in their care. Furthermore, their relationship with local schools and other professionals is positive and information about any issues are shared confidentially when appropriate. This is to ensure that all relevant information is received and referrals are made, in order to safeguard the children.

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provision

The leadership and management team have effective systems to support children's individual needs. Staff work very well together and are positive role models to the children. Recruitment and vetting procedures are effective and, therefore, help ensure that the adults working with children are suitable to do so. Staff are effectively supported by management through relevant training, regular staff meetings and daily discussions. Staff are also encouraged to take up training to ensure that they continue to enhance their practice and provide the best levels of care for children. Staff have a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements. They demonstrate an accurate understanding of the importance of getting to know children's starting points and capabilities and how to monitor children's progress. Staff take time to develop this through sharing information with parents, other professionals and teachers. For example, staff share daily news with

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provision

parents and keep them informed of significant achievements observed that day. Parents are highly satisfied and share their praise for the club. They state that staff know their children very well and provide a good range of activities that meet their needs and develop their interests.

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provision

The manager and her team know the strengths and weaknesses of the club well. They regularly consult with parents and children to gain opinions and ideas. For example, they send out questionnaires to parents and children so that they can collate and assess the comments in order to inform their action plans. Staff welcome support and guidance from the local authority advisor and other childcare professionals. They evaluate their practice and have identified areas where future improvements will be made to enhance the provision for the children. They are appreciative of the partnerships they are building with local schools, parents and other professionals. Overall, children develop high levels of confidence and self-esteem and consistently display the characteristics of effective learners.

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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 EY348264 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 849446

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 54 Name of provider Nicola Michelle Brown Date of previous inspection 25/08/2009 Telephone number 01217 338359

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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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